Table 1.
Patient Characteristics by Hospital PAA Recognition and PSC Certification Status
| Variable | Level | PAA+/PSC+ (N=410) (n=169 302) | PAA+/PSC− (N=415) (n=129 454) | PAA−/PSC+ (N=88) (n=26 386) | PAA−/PSC− (N=443) (n=75 565) | P Value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | ||||||
| Age | Median, y (IQR) | 72 (60 to 82) | 72 (60 to 82) | 71 (60 to 82) | 72 (60 to 82) | <0.0001 |
| Sex | Women | 50.52 | 51.09 | 50.99 | 51.45 | <0.0001 |
| Race/ethnicity | White | 70.52 | 65.58 | 71.67 | 67.83 | <0.0001 |
| Asian | 2.94 | 3.00 | 2.30 | 2.53 | ||
| Black | 16.01 | 19.67 | 15.93 | 17.74 | ||
| Hispanic | 6.62 | 7.76 | 6.64 | 7.75 | ||
| Presentation | ||||||
| Arrival mode | EMS transport | 49.92 | 50.80 | 46.16 | 42.97 | <0.0001 |
| Arrived at off hours | Yes | 49.41 | 49.36 | 49.45 | 48.04 | <0.0001 |
| Time from symptom onset to arrival | Median, min (IQR) | 180 (64 to 571) | 205 (67 to 622) | 179 (63 to 545) | 215 (70 to 642) | <0.0001 |
| NIHSS | Median (IQR) | 4 (2 to 10) | 4 (2 to 9) | 4 (1 to 9) | 4 (1 to 9) | <0.0001 |
| NIHSS documented | Yes | 67.79 | 67.20 | 67.52 | 46.20 | <0.0001 |
| Medical history | ||||||
| Atrial fibrillation/flutter | Yes | 17.19 | 16.55 | 16.64 | 15.73 | <0.0001 |
| Prosthetic heart valve | Yes | 1.33 | 1.30 | 1.48 | 1.15 | <0.0001 |
| Previous stroke/TIA | Yes | 29.80 | 29.71 | 31.72 | 30.73 | <0.0001 |
| CAD/prior MI | Yes | 25.35 | 24.73 | 27.62 | 25.72 | <0.0001 |
| Carotid stenosis | Yes | 4.10 | 3.64 | 4.93 | 4.38 | <0.0001 |
| Diabetes mellitus | Yes | 31.69 | 33.03 | 33.59 | 33.93 | <0.0001 |
| PVD | Yes | 4.77 | 4.25 | 5.32 | 4.87 | <0.0001 |
| Hypertension | Yes | 75.49 | 76.33 | 76.17 | 76.43 | <0.0001 |
| Smoker | Yes | 18.56 | 18.63 | 20.09 | 19.49 | <0.0001 |
| Dyslipidemia | Yes | 44.04 | 42.09 | 43.58 | 42.37 | <0.0001 |
| Heart failure | Yes | 8.08 | 7.80 | 9.27 | 8.26 | <0.0001 |
| Vital signs and labs | ||||||
| Heart rate | Median, bpm (IQR) | 79 (68 to 91) | 79 (69 to 91) | 78 (68 to 91) | 79 (68 to 91) | <0.0001 |
| Systolic blood pressure | Median, mm Hg (IQR) | 155 (137 to 178) | 155 (137 to 178) | 155 (137 to 178) | 155 (137 to 178) | 0.5488 |
| Body mass index | Median, kg/m2 (IQR) | 27.0 (23.6 to 31.3) | 27.0 (23.6 to 31.3) | 27.2 (23.5 to 31.5) | 27.3 (23.7 to 31.6) | <0.0001 |
| Creatinine | Median, mg/dL (IQR) | 1.0 (0.8 to 1.3) | 1.0 (0.8 to 1.3) | 1.0 (0.8 to 1.3) | 1.0 (0.8 to 1.3) | <0.0001 |
| LDL | Median, mg/dL (IQR) | 97 (73 to 125) | 98 (75 to 126) | 98 (74 to 126) | 99 (75 to 127) | <0.0001 |
N shows number of hospitals and n shows number of acute ischemic stroke patients. CAD indicates coronary heart disease; EMS, emergency medical services; IQR, interquartile range; MI, myocardial infarction; NIHSS, National Institutes of Health Stroke Score; PAA, Performance Achievement Award; PSC, Primary Stroke Center; PVD, peripheral vascular disease; TIA, transient ischemic attack.
*
P‐values are based on Pearson χ2 tests for all categorical row variables or based on χ2 rank‐based group means score statistics for all continuous/ordinal row variables (equivalent to Kruskal–Wallis test) indicating if there are differences in at least 1 hospital group.