Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Use of Intravenous Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator and Outcomes for Acute Ischemic Stroke

This study investigated possible racial and ethnic disparities in the administration and outcome of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) therapy for acute ischemic stroke in whites, blacks, Hispanics, and Asian/Pacific Islanders. Using the National Inpatient Sample for 2001-2008, we selected patients with a primary diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke who received treatment with rtPA. Patient data were stratified by race (white, black, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander). We analyzed the association of patient race on rtPA utilization rate, in-hospital morbidity (ie, discharge to long-term facility), intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) rate, and in-hospital mortality. We performed a multivariate logistic regression analysis to determine independent predictors of poor outcomes. White patients had a higher rate of tPA utilization than black and Hispanic patients (2.3% vs 1.8% and 2.0%, respectively; P 
Source: Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research