Table 1.
Patient and Hospital Characteristics of Medicare Beneficiaries in GTWG-Stroke Hospitals With Acute Ischemic Stroke Overall and by Alive or Dead at 30 Days
| Variable | Overall Cohort (N=33102) | No Death Within 30 Days (N=28606) | Death Within 30 Days (N=4496) | P Value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, y, median | 79 | 79 | 83 | <0.0001 |
| 25th–75th | 73–85 | 72–84 | 78–88 | |
| Sex, male, % | 43.6 | 44.3 | 38.9 | <0.0001 |
| Race/ethnicity, % | <0.0001 | |||
| Hispanic | 2.5 | 2.6 | 1.9 | |
| Black | 8.7 | 9.1 | 5.8 | |
| White | 83.3 | 82.7 | 87.1 | |
| Arrival mode, % | <0.0001 | |||
| Emergency medical services | 67.6 | 63.9 | 91.4 | |
| Private transport | 32.4 | 36.1 | 8.6 | |
| Arrival time, off hours, % | 53.4 | 53.3 | 54.3 | 0.1930 |
| Atrial fibrillation/flutter, % | 24.5 | 22.0 | 40.9 | <0.0001 |
| Previous stroke/TIA, % | 30.0 | 29.8 | 31.6 | 0.0156 |
| CAD/prior MI, % | 32.4 | 31.6 | 37.8 | <0.0001 |
| Diabetes mellitus, % | 26.7 | 26.8 | 25.7 | 0.1267 |
| Peripheral vascular disease, % | 5.5 | 5.3 | 6.7 | 0.0003 |
| Hypertension, % | 77.5 | 77.7 | 76.3 | 0.0293 |
| Smoker, % | 11.3 | 11.8 | 8.4 | <0.0001 |
| Dyslipidemia, % | 36.4 | 37.9 | 26.8 | <0.0001 |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 25.8 | 26.0 | 24.4 | <0.0001 |
| 25th–75th | 22.8–30.0 | 23.0–29.8 | 21.5–28.0 | |
| NIHSS total score mean, (SD) | 8.01 (7.88) | 6.62 (6.67) | 16.85 (9.18) | <0.0001 |
| Median | 5 | 4 | 17 | |
| 25th–75th | 2–12 | 2–9 | 10–23 | |
| Discharge status, % | ||||
| Home | 36.6 | 41.9 | 2.9 | <0.0001 |
| Skilled nursing facility | 24.0 | 24.5 | 20.4 | |
| Rehabilitation, % | 26.7 | 30.2 | 4.7 | |
| Transfer to acute care facility | 2.3 | 2.5 | 1.4 | |
| Left against medical advice | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | |
| Hospice | 3.8 | 0.6 | 24.7 | |
| Died inhospital | 6.4 | - | 45.8 | |
| Ambulatory status† | <0.0001 | |||
| Ambulate independently | 39.1 | 44.4 | 3.7 | |
| With assistance | 34.3 | 37.8 | 10.1 | |
| Unable to ambulate | 24.2 | 15.9 | 79.4 | |
| Hospital characteristic | ||||
| No. of stroke discharges, % | 0.8495 | |||
| 0–100 | 9.9 | 9.9 | 9.7 | |
| 101–300 | 57.4 | 57.4 | 57.3 | |
| >300 | 32.7 | 32.7 | 33.0 | |
| No. of beds, median | 409 | 409 | 414 | 0.6929 |
| 25th–75th | 279–580 | 279–580 | 279–580 | |
| Geographic region, % | 0.9551 | |||
| Northeast | 25.8 | 25.7 | 26.0 | |
| Midwest | 22.4 | 22.4 | 22.3 | |
| South | 36.4 | 36.4 | 36.1 | |
| West | 15.5 | 15.5 | 15.6 | |
| Hospital type, % | 0.7908 | |||
| Academic | 63.2 | 63.2 | 63.4 | |
| Nonacademic | 36.8 | 36.9 | 36.6 | |
| Missing | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.02 | |
| TJC primary stroke center, % | 74.7 | 74.7 | 74.8 | 0.8329 |
GWTG indicates Get With The Guidelines; TIA, transient ischemic attack; CAD/prior MI, coronary artery disease or myocardial infarction; NIHSS, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale; SD, standard deviation; TJC, The Joint Commission.
*
Wilcoxon 2-sample test for continuous variables and chi-square test for categorical variables.
†
Excludes patients who transferred out.