Effect of insurance status on postacute care among working age stroke survivors

OBJECTIVE

Utilization of postacute care is associated with improved poststroke outcomes. However, more than 20% of American adults under age 65 are uninsured. We sought to determine whether insurance status is associated with utilization and intensity of institutional postacute care among working age stroke survivors.

METHODS

A retrospective cross-sectional study of ischemic stroke survivors under age 65 from the 2004-2006 Nationwide Inpatient Sample was conducted. Hierarchical logistic regression models controlling for patient and hospital-level factors were used. The primary outcome was utilization of any institutional postacute care (inpatient rehabilitation or skilled nursing facilities) following hospital admission for ischemic stroke. Intensity of rehabilitation was explored by comparing utilization of inpatient rehabilitation facilities and skilled nursing facilities.

RESULTS

Of the 33,917 working age stroke survivors, 19.3% were uninsured, 19.8% were Medicaid enrollees, and 22.8% were discharged to institutional postacute care. Compared to those privately insured, uninsured stroke survivors were less likely (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.53, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.47-0.59) while stroke survivors with Medicaid were more likely to utilize any institutional postacute care (AOR = 1.40, 95% CI 1.27-1.54). Among stroke survivors who utilized institutional postacute care, uninsured (AOR = 0.48, 95% CI 0.36-0.64) and Medicaid stroke survivors (AOR = 0.27, 95% CI 0.23-0.33) were less likely to utilize an inpatient rehabilitation facility than a skilled nursing facility compared to privately insured stroke survivors.

CONCLUSIONS

Insurance status among working age acute stroke survivors is independently associated with utilization and intensity of institutional postacute care. This may explain differences in poststroke outcomes among uninsured and Medicaid stroke survivors compared to the privately insured.

The Causative Classification of Stroke system: an international reliability and optimization study

BACKGROUND

Valid and reliable ischemic stroke subtype determination is crucial for well-powered multicenter studies. The Causative Classification of Stroke System (CCS, available at http://ccs.mgh.harvard.edu) is a computerized, evidence-based algorithm that provides both causative and phenotypic stroke subtypes in a rule-based manner. We determined whether CCS demonstrates high interrater reliability in order to be useful for international multicenter studies.

METHODS

Twenty members of the International Stroke Genetics Consortium from 13 centers in 8 countries, who were not involved in the design and development of the CCS, independently assessed the same 50 consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke through reviews of abstracted case summaries. Agreement among ratings was measured by kappa statistic.

RESULTS

The κ value for causative classification was 0.80 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.78-0.81) for the 5-subtype, 0.79 (95% CI 0.77-0.80) for the 8-subtype, and 0.70 (95% CI 0.69-0.71) for the 16-subtype CCS. Correction of a software-related factor that generated ambiguity improved agreement: κ = 0.81 (95% CI 0.79-0.82) for the 5-subtype, 0.79 (95% CI 0.77-0.80) for the 8-subtype, and 0.79 (95% CI 0.78-0.80) for the 16-subtype CCS. The κ value for phenotypic classification was 0.79 (95% CI 0.77-0.82) for supra-aortic large artery atherosclerosis, 0.95 (95% CI 0.93-0.98) for cardioembolism, 0.88 (95% CI 0.85-0.91) for small artery occlusion, and 0.79 (0.76-0.82) for other uncommon causes.

CONCLUSIONS

CCS allows classification of stroke subtypes by multiple investigators with high reliability, supporting its potential for improving stroke classification in multicenter studies and ensuring accurate means of communication among different researchers, institutions, and eras.

Predicting ischaemic stroke subtype from presenting systolic blood pressure: the BASIC Project

OBJECTIVE

We hypothesized that low presenting systolic blood pressure (SBP) predicted cardioembolic stroke aetiology.

DESIGN

Active and passive surveillance were used to identify all ischaemic strokes as part of the Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi (BASIC) population-based study. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the association between stroke subtype and first documented SBP in the medical record.

SETTING

Nueces County, TX, USA (313,645 residents in 2000). The community is urban with the majority of the population residing in the city of Corpus Christi. The area is served by seven adult acute care hospitals.

PATIENTS

Three hundred and eight cases with completed ischaemic stroke and determined subtype aetiology between January 2000 and December 2002.

RESULTS

Lower presenting SBP was associated with stroke subtype (P = 0.001). This association remained significant in the final model adjusted for age and history of coronary artery disease. The odds of cardioembolic versus small vessel occlusion increased by 20% (OR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.07-1.35) for every 10 mmHg decrease in presenting SBP. Other covariates including race/ethnicity, gender, history of hypertension, and diabetes were neither significant predictors of stroke subtype, nor did they confound the association of SBP and stroke subtype. A 5 year increase in age increased the odds of cardioembolic subtype by 25% (OR = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.07-1.47).

CONCLUSIONS

Lower initial SBP and older age at ischaemic stroke presentation were associated with cardioembolic stroke. Suspicion of cardioembolic stroke should be increased in those presenting with low SBP.

Gender and ethnic differences in subarachnoid hemorrhage

BACKGROUND

Mexican Americans (MAs) comprise the largest component of the largest minority group within the United States. The purpose of this study was to examine ethnic and gender differences in the epidemiology, presentation, and outcomes after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in a representative United States community. Targeted public health interventions are dependent on accurate assessments of groups at highest disease risk.

METHODS

All patients with nontraumatic SAH older than 44 years were prospectively identified from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2006, as part of the Brain Attack Surveillance In Corpus Christi project, an urban population-based study in southeast Texas. Risk ratios for cumulative SAH incidence comparing MAs with non Hispanic whites (NHWs) and women with men were calculated. Descriptive statistics for other clinical and demographic variables were computed overall, by gender, and by ethnicity.

RESULTS

A total of 107 patients had a SAH during the time period (7-year cumulative incidence: 11/10,000); of these, 43 were NHW (40% of cases vs 53% of the population) and 64 were MA (60% of cases vs 48% of the population). The overall age-adjusted risk ratio for SAH in MAs compared with NHWs was 1.67 (95% CI: 1.13, 2.47), and in women compared to men was 1.74 (95% CI 1.16, 2.62). Overall in-hospital mortality was 32.2%. No ethnic difference was observed for discharge disability or in-hospital mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

Subarachnoid hemorrhage disproportionately affects Mexican Americans and women. Public health interventions should target these groups to reduce the impact of this severe disease.