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ABSTRACT: Objective
Missed diagnoses of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in the ED may result in lost opportunities to treat AIS. Our objectives were to describe the rate and clinical characteristics of missed AIS in the ED, to determine clinical predictors of missed AIS, and to report tissue plasminogen (tPA) eligibility among those with missed strokes.Methods
Among a population of 1.3 million in a five-county region of southwest Ohio and northern Kentucky, cases of AIS that presented to 16 EDs during 2010 were identified using ICD-9 codes followed by physician verification of cases. Missed ED diagnoses were physician-verified strokes that did not receive a diagnosis indicative of stroke in the ED. Bivariate analyses were used to compare clinical characteristics between patients with and without an ED diagnosis of AIS. Logistic regression was used to evaluate predictors of missed AIS diagnoses. Alternative diagnoses given to those with missed AIS were codified. Eligibility for tPA was reported between those with and without a missed stroke diagnosis.Results
Of 2,027 AIS cases, 14.0% (n = 283) were missed in the ED. Race, sex, and stroke subtypes were similar between those with missed AIS diagnoses and those identified in the ED. Hospital length of stay was longer in those with a missed diagnosis (5 days vs. 3 days, p < 0.0001). Younger age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.94, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.89 to 0.98) and decreased level of consciousness (LOC) (aOR = 3.58, 95% CI = 2.63 to 4.87) were associated with higher odds of missed AIS. Altered mental status was the most common diagnosis among those with missed AIS. Only 1.1% of those with a missed stroke diagnosis were eligible for tPA.Conclusion
In a large population-based sample of AIS cases, one in seven cases were not diagnosed as AIS in the ED, but the impact on acute treatment rates is likely small. Missed diagnosis was more common among those with decreased LOC, suggesting the need for improved diagnostic approaches in these patients.
SUBMITTER: Madsen TE
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5358009 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Madsen Tracy E TE Khoury Jane J Cadena Rhonda R Adeoye Opeolu O Alwell Kathleen A KA Moomaw Charles J CJ McDonough Erin E Flaherty Matthew L ML Ferioli Simona S Woo Daniel D Khatri Pooja P Broderick Joseph P JP Kissela Brett M BM Kleindorfer Dawn D
Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine 20160927 10
<h4>Objective</h4>Missed diagnoses of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in the ED may result in lost opportunities to treat AIS. Our objectives were to describe the rate and clinical characteristics of missed AIS in the ED, to determine clinical predictors of missed AIS, and to report tissue plasminogen (tPA) eligibility among those with missed strokes.<h4>Methods</h4>Among a population of 1.3 million in a five-county region of southwest Ohio and northern Kentucky, cases of AIS that presented to 16 ED ...[more]