Readmission Rates Among Acute Reperfusion Treatment Modalities for Patients With Ischemic Stroke

Background and purpose: Understanding various aspects associated with readmission after acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is an important priority. Our study aims to examine whether 60-day readmission rates differed among patients with AIS who were treated with different acute reperfusion treatment modalities along with associated clinical factors. Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of a continuous cohort of patient with AIS, who received either intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (IV rtPA), endovascular treatment (EVT) or both, and were discharged alive. Patients readmitted within 60 days were identified as the readmission group. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify all-cause readmission post-stroke between treatment groups. Results: The final cohort comprised of 358 patients with AIS receiving IV rtPA only (N = 160), EVT only (N = 106), or both (N = 92). Fifty-six patients were readmitted to the hospital within 60-day follow-up period. The adjusted logistic regression model indicated that compared to patients who received IV tPA only, patients receiving both IV rtPA and EVT had significantly lower odds (OR = .27; 95% CI = .10, .75)) of getting readmitted within 60-day post-discharge from stroke admission. Conclusion: In this sample of AIS hospitalizations, treatment-type was positively associated with 60-day readmission. Future studies are necessary to understand whether treatment-related adverse events, and readmission are avoidable.