Abstract 183: Time to Alteplase and Symptomatic Intracranial Hemorrhage Complication Rates

Abstract

Background/Objective: The American Heart Association’s Target Stroke initiative focuses on reducing door-to-needle time for faster treatment with Alteplase and improved patient outcomes. The concern for reducing door-to-needle time is that there will be an increase in complication rates, specifically the rate of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (ICH). This study sought to review whether reduced door-to-needle times were associated with increased rates of complications in Midwest hospitals. Methods: A retrospective review of acute ischemic stroke patients treated with Alteplase was conducted from 2010-2018 in 13 Midwestern states (IN, IL, KS, KY, MI, MN, NO, ND, OH, SD, and WI) using the American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines (GWTG) Stroke database. Percentage of eligible patients treated with Alteplase, treatment times, and complication rates were reviewed. Results: From 2010-2018 the rate of ischemic stroke patients treated with Alteplase in the approved 3-hour window increased from 68.9% to 88.5%. The number of patients treated with Alteplase in 60 minutes increased from 24.1% in 2010 to 74.9% in 2018. The median time to treatment for Alteplase was reduced from 80 minutes in 2010 to 46 minutes in 2018. The rate of complications associated with thrombolytics was 6.5% in 2010 and dropped to 4.5% in 2018. This is statistically significant at a p-value of .05. Conclusions: In the Midwest Region, a reduction in door-to-needle times was not associated with increased complication rates. Interestingly, a reduction in door-to-needle times was associated with a reduction in complication rates. This supports the American Heart Association’s new Target Stroke Phase III initiative which seeks to further reduce door-to-needle times.