Impact of Direct Admission Versus Interfacility Transfer on Endovascular Treatment Outcomes for Acute Ischemic Stroke: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Mechanical thrombectomy is a proven treatment for large-vessel ischemic stroke with improved functional outcomes compared with intravenous thrombolytics. Access to thrombectomy-capable sites varies greatly by geography, often necessitating interhospital transfer of patients who first present to hospitals unable to provide thrombectomy. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to examine the impact of interhospital transportation on patient outcomes to better inform recommendations for prehospital protocols.
Methods: A meta-analysis was performed following systematic literature searches. Outcomes of interest included successful reperfusion, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, 90-day modified Rankin Scale score 0-2, 90-day mortality, onset-to-puncture times, and door-to-puncture times.
Results: Pooled analysis comprised >27,000 patients. Door-to-puncture time was 35.6 minutes shorter among transferred patients; however, symptom onset-to-puncture time was 91.6 minutes longer. Rate of reperfusion or symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage as well as 90-day mortality did not differ significantly between transferred and directly admitted patients. While the proportion of patients achieving good functional outcome at 90 days with modified Rankin Scale score 0-2 did not differ by admission type, when modified Rankin Scale score was narrowed to 0-1, direct transport showed 20% greater probability of achieving excellent functional outcome (P < 0.001).
Conclusions: This meta-analysis represents the largest pooled population examined to date to assess how interfacility transportation to thrombectomy-capable sites affects patient outcomes. Our results indicate that direct admission is a significant predictor of excellent functional outcome. The findings presented here can be used to better inform quality improvement projects to streamline access to facilities providing endovascular mechanical thrombectomy capabilities.
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