TY - JOUR
T1 - Dissemination of Thrombolysis for Acute Ischemic Stroke Across a Nation. Experiences From the Swedish Stroke Register, 2003 to 2008.
AU - Eriksson, Marie
AU - Jonsson, Fredrik
AU - Appelros, Peter
AU - Asberg, Kerstin Hulter
AU - Norrving, Bo
AU - Stegmayr, Birgitta
AU - Terént, Andreas
AU - Asplund, Kjell
PY - 2010
Y1 - 2010
N2 - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We used Riks-Stroke, the Swedish Stroke Register, to explore how thrombolysis has been disseminated in Swedish hospitals since it was approved in 2003. METHODS: All 78 hospitals in Sweden admitting patients with acute stroke participate in Riks-Stroke. Between 2003 and 2008, 72 033 adult patients were hospitalized for acute ischemic stroke. We analyzed thrombolysis use by region, patient characteristics, and stroke service settings. RESULTS: Nationwide, the use of thrombolysis increased from 0.9% in 2003 to 6.6% in 2008. There were marked regional differences in the dissemination of thrombolysis, but these gaps narrowed over time. Nonuniversity hospitals reached treatment levels similar to university settings, although with a 2- to 3-year delay. Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage remained at the 3% to 9% level without an apparent time trend during dissemination. Independent predictors of higher thrombolysis use included younger age, male sex, not living alone, and no history of stroke or diabetes. In 2008, patients admitted to a stroke unit were 5 times more likely to receive thrombolysis than those admitted to general wards. CONCLUSIONS: Nationwide implementation of thrombolysis has been slow but has accelerated mainly due to increased access outside university hospitals. The increased use has been achieved safely, but access has been unequal.
AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We used Riks-Stroke, the Swedish Stroke Register, to explore how thrombolysis has been disseminated in Swedish hospitals since it was approved in 2003. METHODS: All 78 hospitals in Sweden admitting patients with acute stroke participate in Riks-Stroke. Between 2003 and 2008, 72 033 adult patients were hospitalized for acute ischemic stroke. We analyzed thrombolysis use by region, patient characteristics, and stroke service settings. RESULTS: Nationwide, the use of thrombolysis increased from 0.9% in 2003 to 6.6% in 2008. There were marked regional differences in the dissemination of thrombolysis, but these gaps narrowed over time. Nonuniversity hospitals reached treatment levels similar to university settings, although with a 2- to 3-year delay. Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage remained at the 3% to 9% level without an apparent time trend during dissemination. Independent predictors of higher thrombolysis use included younger age, male sex, not living alone, and no history of stroke or diabetes. In 2008, patients admitted to a stroke unit were 5 times more likely to receive thrombolysis than those admitted to general wards. CONCLUSIONS: Nationwide implementation of thrombolysis has been slow but has accelerated mainly due to increased access outside university hospitals. The increased use has been achieved safely, but access has been unequal.
KW - thrombolysis
KW - implementation
KW - acute ischemic stroke
U2 - 10.1161/STROKEAHA.109.577106
DO - 10.1161/STROKEAHA.109.577106
M3 - Article
C2 - 20395610
SN - 1524-4628
VL - 41
SP - 1115
EP - 1122
JO - Stroke: a journal of cerebral circulation
JF - Stroke: a journal of cerebral circulation
IS - 6
ER -