Abstract WP447: Early Mobilization After 12 Hours Post-Thrombolysis is Safe and Reduces Length of Stay in Minor Stroke Patients

Abstract

Background: Bed rest of 24 hours post-thrombolysis is recommended for acute ischemic stroke patients. We sought to compare outcomes and in-hospital complications of 12- and 24-hour bed rest protocols following thrombolysis in minor stroke patients. Methods: Consecutive patients age >18 years with a diagnosis of ischemic stroke that received tPA only and who had an initial National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) 0-5 between 1/1/2017 and 3/30/2019 were included. Stroke mimics and patients who underwent mechanical thrombectomy were excluded. The standard practice bed rest order for the 24 hour protocol prior to 07/15/2017 was compared with the 12 hour bed rest order protocol after that date. The primary outcome was length of stay. Secondary outcome measures included symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH), deep venous thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), pneumonia, favorable discharge to home or acute rehabilitation, readmission within 30 days and modified rankin scale (mRS) at 90 days. Results: Of the 106 patients identified, 36 patients were in the 24-hour protocol and 70 were in the 12-hour bed rest protocol group. There was significant difference for length of stay in the 24-hour bed rest protocol (2.9 days) compared with the 12-hour bed rest protocol (2.0 days) (p=0.032). Compared with the 24-hour bed rest group, the rates of sICH (p=NS), DVT (p=NS), PE (p=NS), pneumonia (p=NS), favorable discharge disposition (p=NS), 30 day readmission (p=0.NS) and 90 day mRS 0-2 (p=NS) were not different between the groups. Time to mobilization was significantly different between the two groups (24 hour group:2043.2 ± 680.1 minutes; 12 hour group:1221.0 ± 527.8) (p<0.0001). Conclusion: Compared with 24-hour bed rest, 12-hour bed rest after thrombolysis for minor acute ischemic stroke was associated with significantly earlier patient mobilization and reduced length of stay without any adverse outcomes. A randomized trial is needed to verify these findings.