Table 1.
Characteristics of Medicare beneficiaries using an ICM or an ECM after an ischaemic stroke
| Unmatched | Unmatched | SMD | Matched | Matched | SMD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ICM | ECM | ICM | ECM | |||
| n = 444 | n = 5258 | n = 442 | n = 1768 | |||
| n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | |||
| Age, mean (SD) | 74.7 (9.0) | 75.0 (9.4) | 0.029 | 74.7 (8.5) | 74.7 (9.4) | 0.010 |
| Female | 238 (53.6) | 2865 (54.5) | 0.018 | 237 (53.6) | 938 (53.1) | 0.011 |
| Race/ethnicity | ||||||
| White | 356 (80.2) | 4304 (81.9) | 0.043 | 356 (80.5) | 1449 (82.0) | 0.036 |
| Black | 52 (11.7) | 491 (9.3) | 0.077 | 51 (11.5) | 188 (10.6) | 0.029 |
| Hispanic | 14 (3.2) | 252 (4.8) | 0.084 | 14 (3.2) | 55 (3.1) | 0.003 |
| Other/unknown | 22 (5.0) | 211 (4.0) | 0.046 | 21 (4.8) | 76 (4.3) | 0.022 |
| Index year | ||||||
| 2017 | 11 (2.5) | 262 (5.0) | 0.040 | 11 (2.5) | 77 (4.4) | 0.020 |
| 2018 | 218 (49.1) | 2437 (46.4) | 217 (49.1) | 822 (46.5) | ||
| 2019 | 215 (48.4) | 2559 (48.7) | 214 (48.4) | 869 (49.2) | ||
| Index to stroke Hospitalization, median (IQR) | −11 (−46, −3) | −14 (−36, −4) | — | −11 (−46, −3) | −17 (−42, −5) | — |
| Index to stroke Hospitalization, mean (SD) | −25.9 (27.6) | −22.9 (23.0) | 0.119 | −26.0 (27.6) | −25.7 (24.4) | 0.012 |
| Stroke hospitalization LOS, mean (SD) | 3.7 (4.1) | 3.1 (2.6) | 0.168 | 3.5 (2.7) | 3.5 (3.1) | 0.006 |
| Comorbidities | ||||||
| Diabetes | 208 (46.9) | 2264 (43.1) | 0.076 | 207 (46.8) | 829 (46.9) | 0.001 |
| Hypertension | 424 (95.5) | 4954 (94.2) | 0.058 | 422 (95.5) | 1701 (96.2) | 0.037 |
| Hyperlipidaemia | 400 (90.1) | 4593 (87.4) | 0.087 | 399 (90.3) | 1601 (90.6) | 0.010 |
| Ischaemic heart disease | 217 (48.9) | 2156 (41.0) | 0.159 | 217 (49.1) | 891 (50.4) | 0.026 |
| Myocardial infarction | 78 (17.6) | 832 (15.8) | 0.047 | 78 (17.7) | 327 (18.5) | 0.022 |
| Congestive heart failure | 83 (18.7) | 960 (18.3) | 0.011 | 83 (18.8) | 333 (18.8) | 0.001 |
| Valvular heart disease | 203 (45.7) | 2331 (44.3) | 0.028 | 201 (45.5) | 835 (47.2) | 0.035 |
| Patent foramen ovale | 44 (9.9) | 338 (6.4) | 0.127 | 43 (9.7) | 174 (9.8) | 0.003 |
| Peripheral vascular disease | 175 (39.4) | 1861 (35.4) | 0.083 | 175 (39.6) | 698 (39.5) | 0.002 |
| Cerebrovascular disease | 132 (29.7) | 1140 (21.7) | 0.185 | 130 (29.4) | 509 (28.8) | 0.014 |
| History of stroke/transient ischaemic attack | 94 (21.2) | 806 (15.3) | 0.152 | 92 (20.8) | 354 (20.0) | 0.020 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 115 (25.9) | 1481 (28.2) | 0.051 | 115 (26.0) | 448 (25.3) | 0.016 |
| Renal disease | 131 (29.5) | 1402 (26.7) | 0.063 | 130 (29.4) | 521 (29.5) | 0.001 |
| Cancer (metastatic or non-metastatic) | 68 (15.3) | 852 (16.2) | 0.024 | 67 (15.2) | 284 (16.1) | 0.025 |
| Dementia | 48 (10.8) | 632 (12.0) | 0.038 | 48 (10.9) | 192 (10.9) | 0.000 |
| CHA2DS2-VASc, mean (SD) | 4.61 (1.6) | 4.44 (1.5) | 0.112 | 4.61 (1.6) | 4.63 (1.6) | 0.013 |
ECM, external cardiac monitor; ICM, insertable cardiac monitor; IQR, interquartile range; LOS, length of stay; SD, standard deviation, SMD, standardized mean difference.