Abstract WMP34: Use of Intravenous Tissue Plasminogen Activator in Patients Without a Stroke (Stroke Mimics): Findings From the get With the Guidelines Stroke Registry

Abstract

Background: The necessity for rapid evaluation and treatment with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) in acute ischemic stroke may increase the risk of administrating tPA to patients without a stroke (“stroke mimics”). Methods: Using data from the Get With The Guidelines Stroke Registry from 2009 to 2015, we identified 90,746 patients treated with tPA within 4.5 hours of symptom onset. We documented use of tPA in stroke mimics, defined as patients initially thought to have a stroke but without a final diagnosis of one, and compared patient characteristics and outcomes between tPA-treated mimics vs. ischemic strokes. Results: Overall, only 0.8% (728) of all tPA cases were given to stroke mimics, ranging from 0.2% in 2009 Q1 to 1.3% in 2015 Q1. The most common documented diagnoses in tPA-treated mimics were migraine (15.6%), functional disorder (9.4%), and seizure (7.2%). Compared with tPA-treated true stroke patients, tPA-treated mimics were younger (median 52 vs. 72 years), had lower prevalence of atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, dyslipidemia, hypertension, heart failure, had less severe National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (median 7 vs. 10), but higher prevalence of prior stroke/transient ischemic attack (34.4% vs. 25.5%), all p<0.001. The door-to-needle times were similar in stroke mimics and true stroke groups (median 68 vs. 68 minutes, p=0.82). Rates of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) were quite rare in stroke mimic patients (0.4%, 3/728) as compared with 4.3% (3846/90018) in patients with an ischemic stroke; adjusted OR for sICH (0.19, 95% CI 0.06-0.58). The in-hospital mortality rate was significantly lower in tPA-treated stroke mimics as compared with ischemic stroke patients (0.6% vs. 7.3%, adjusted OR 0.16, 95% CI 0.06-0.43). Conclusions: In this large nationwide cohort of patients treated with tPA, only 1 in 125 patients who received tPA for presumed stroke was a false positive and complication rates associated with tPA administration to stroke mimics were quite low. Nonetheless, there still may be opportunities to continue to improve the rapid and accurate diagnosis and treatment of ischemic stroke.