Xian, Ying

ImportanceAtrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common, chronic, cardiac arrythmia in older US adults. It is not known whether AF is independently associated with increased risk of retinal stroke (central retinal artery occlusion), a subtype of ischemic stroke that causes severely disabling visual loss in most cases and is a harbinger of further vascular events.ObjectiveTo determine whether there is an association between AF and retinal stroke.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis retrospective cohort study was performed between July 2023 and May 2024 using computerized inpatient, outpatient, emergency department, and skilled nursing facility claims files for a 5% sample of US fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries aged 66 years and older between 2000 and 2020. Follow-up ended at death, conclusion of fee-for-service Medicare coverage, end of the study period, or loss to follow-up of 85% of the study cohort.ExposureAF, based on validated International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification and International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnosis codes.Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe primary end point was incident retinal stroke in the primary diagnostic position of a single claim in any venue of care. Secondary end points included retinal stroke in any position of a single claim, 1 positive control end point (cerebral ischemic stroke), and 4 negative control end points (central retinal vein occlusion, urinary tract infection, humeral fracture, and cataract). Unadjusted and adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and rate differences were computed across matched and overlap-weighted cohorts with and without AF (defined as 1 inpatient claim or 2 outpatient claims within a 365-day period).ResultsIn total, 1 090 144 patients (591 400 female [54.3%]; mean [SD] age, 76.92 [7.09] years) were included in the study; 545 072 patients had AF and 545 072 were matched controls. The median (IQR) follow-up was 45 (18 to 90) months. In total, 1333 patients with AF (rate, 0.55 per 1000 person-years) and 1082 AF-free matched controls (rate, 0.50 per 1000 person-years) experienced retinal stroke. The cause-specific, adjusted HR of retinal stroke after overlap weighting was 1.14 (95% CI, 1.02 to 1.28; adjusted rate difference, 0.05 [95% CI, −0.01 to 0.11]). AF was associated with cerebral ischemic stroke (adjusted HR, 1.73 [95% CI, 1.69 to 1.76]; adjusted rate difference, 10.11 [95% CI, 9.72 to 10.49]). Of 4 prespecified negative control end points, AF was not associated with central retinal vein occlusion but was associated with urinary tract infection, cataract, and humeral fracture.Conclusions and RelevanceIn this cohort study of Medicare beneficiaries aged 66 years and older, AF was independently associated with retinal stroke. The magnitude of the association was small, and a contribution from residual, unmeasured confounding could not be excluded.

Background Current treatment guidelines strongly recommend statin therapy for secondary prevention. However, it remains unclear whether patients’ perceptions of cardiovascular risk, beliefs on cholesterol, or the intensity of prescribed statin therapy differs for patients with coronary artery disease ( CAD ) versus cerebrovascular disease (Ce VD ) versus both CAD and Ce VD ( CAD &Ce VD ). Methods and Results The PALM (Patient and Provider Assessment of Lipid Management) registry collected data on statin use, intensity, and core laboratory low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol levels for 3232 secondary prevention patients treated at 133 US clinics. Among individuals with Ce VD only (n=403), CAD only (n=2202), and Ce VD & CAD (n=627), no significant differences were observed in patient‐perceived cardiovascular disease risk, beliefs on cholesterol lowering, or perceived effectiveness and safety of statin therapy. However, patients with Ce VD only were less likely to receive any statin therapy (76.2% versus 86.2%; adjusted odds ratio 0.64, 95% CI 0.45–0.91), or guideline‐recommended statin intensity (34.6% versus 50.4%; adjusted odds ratio 0.60, 95% CI 0.45–0.81) than those with CAD only. Individuals with Ce VD only were also less likely to achieve low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol <100 mg/ dL (59.2% versus 69.7%; adjusted odds ratio 0.79, 95% CI 0.64–0.99) than individuals with CAD alone. There were no significant differences in the use of any statin therapy or guideline‐recommended statin intensity between individuals with CAD &Ce VD and those with CAD only. Conclusions Despite lack of significant differences in patient‐perceived cardiovascular risk or statin beliefs, patients with Ce VD were significantly less likely to receive higher intensity statin or achieve low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol <100 mg/ dL than those with CAD only.

Background and Purpose— Kidney dysfunction is common among patients hospitalized for ischemic stroke. Understanding the association of kidney disease with poststroke outcomes is important to properly adjust for case mix in outcome studies, payment models and risk-standardized hospital readmission rates. Methods— In this cohort study of fee-for-service Medicare patients admitted with ischemic stroke to 1579 Get With The Guidelines-Stroke participating hospitals between 2009 and 2014, adjusted multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine the independent associations of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and dialysis status with 30-day and 1-year postdischarge mortality and rehospitalizations. Results— Of 204 652 patients discharged alive (median age [25th–75th percentile] 80 years [73.0–86.0], 57.6% women, 79.8% white), 48.8% had an eGFR ≥60, 26.5% an eGFR 45 to 59, 16.3% an eGFR 30 to 44, 5.1% an eGFR 15 to 29, 0.6% an eGFR <15 without dialysis, and 2.8% were receiving dialysis. Compared with eGFR ≥60, and after adjusting for relevant variables, eGFR <45 was associated with increased 30-day mortality with the risk highest among those with eGFR <15 without dialysis (hazard ratio [HR], 2.09; 95% CI, 1.66–2.63). An eGFR <60 was associated with increased 1-year poststroke mortality that was highest among patients on dialysis (HR, 2.65; 95% CI, 2.49–2.81). Dialysis was also associated with the highest 30-day and 1-year rehospitalization rates (HR, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.95–2.26 and HR, 2.55; 95% CI, 2.44–2.66, respectively) and 30-day and 1-year composite of mortality and rehospitalization (HR, 2.04; 95% CI, 1.90–2.18 and HR, 2.46; 95% CI, 2.36–2.56, respectively). Conclusions— Within the first year after index hospitalization for ischemic stroke, eGFR and dialysis status on admission are associated with poststroke mortality and hospital readmissions. Kidney function should be included in risk-stratification models for poststroke outcomes.

Background— We explored regional variation in 30-day ischemic stroke mortality and readmission rates and the extent to which regional differences in patients, hospitals, healthcare resources, and a quality of care composite care measure explain the observed variation. Methods and Results— This ecological analysis aggregated patient and hospital characteristics from the Get With The Guidelines–Stroke registry (2007–2011), healthcare resource data from the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care (2006), and Medicare fee-for-service data on 30-day mortality and readmissions (2007–2011) to the hospital referral region (HRR) level. We used linear regression to estimate adjusted HRR-level 30-day outcomes, to identify HRR-level characteristics associated with 30-day outcomes, and to describe which characteristics explained variation in 30-day outcomes. The mean adjusted HRR-level 30-day mortality and readmission rates were 10.3% (SD=1.1%) and 13.1% (SD=1.1%), respectively; a modest, negative correlation ( r =−0.17; P =0.003) was found between one another. Demographics explained more variation in readmissions than mortality (25% versus 6%), but after accounting for demographics, comorbidities accounted for more variation in mortality compared with readmission rates (17% versus 7%). The combination of hospital characteristics and healthcare resources explained 11% and 16% of the variance in mortality and readmission rates, beyond patient characteristics. Most of the regional variation in mortality (65%) and readmission (50%) rates remained unexplained. Conclusions— Thirty-day mortality and readmission rates vary substantially across HRRs and exhibit an inverse relationship. While regional variation in 30-day outcomes were explained by patient and hospital factors differently, much of the regional variation in both outcomes remains unexplained.

Background and Purpose— The recommended treatment for ischemic stroke is tPA (tissue-type plasminogen activator). Although sickle cell disease (SCD) represents no known contraindication to tPA, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health recommended acute exchange transfusion for stroke in SCD, not tPA. Data on safety and outcomes of tPA in patients are needed to guide tPA use in SCD. Methods— We matched patients from the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association Get With The Guidelines-Stroke registry with SCD to patients without SCD and compared usage, complications, and discharge outcomes after tPA. Multivariable logistic regression models using generalized estimating equations were used to assess outcomes. Results— From 2 016 652 stroke patients admitted to Get With The Guidelines-Stroke sites in the United States, 832 SCD and 3328 non-SCD controls with no differences in admission National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale or blood pressure were identified. Neither the fraction receiving thrombolytic therapy (8.2% for SCD versus 9.4% non-SCD) nor symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (4.9% of SCD versus 3.2% non-SCD; P =0.4502) was different. There was no difference in a prespecified set of outcome measures for those with SCD compared with controls. Conclusions— Coexistent SCD had no significant impact on the safety or outcome of thrombolytic therapy in acute ischemic stroke. Although the sample size is relatively small, these data suggest that adults with SCD and acute ischemic stroke should be treated with thrombolysis, if they otherwise qualify. Addition studies, however, should track the intracranial hemorrhage rate and provide information on other SCD-related care such as transfusion.