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AHRQ Research Studies
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Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 22 of 22 Research Studies DisplayedHextrum S, Minhas JS, Liotta EM
Hypocapnia, ischemic lesions, and outcomes after intracerebral hemorrhage.
This research evaluated the relationship between early pCO(2) changes, ischemic lesions and outcomes in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). This observational cohort study ran from 2006 to 2019. Arterial blood gas (ABG) measurements and mechanical ventilation settings in the first 72 hours after admission were collected. ABG data was analyzed from 220 patients. Hyperventilation occurred in 52 (28%) of cases and was not associated with clinical severity. Lower initial pCO(2) was associated with greater risk of in-hospital death. MRI images from 33 patients was used to measure the risk of developing ischemic lesions with lower pCO(2). Lower pCO(2) was also associated with a higher risk, except in patients with low initial systolic blood pressure.
AHRQ-funded; HS023437.
Citation: Hextrum S, Minhas JS, Liotta EM .
Hypocapnia, ischemic lesions, and outcomes after intracerebral hemorrhage.
J Neurol Sci 2020 Nov 15;418:117139. doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2020.117139..
Keywords: Stroke, Cardiovascular Conditions, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Outcomes, Evidence-Based Practice
Askew RL, Capo-Lugo CE, Sangha R
Trade-offs in quality-of-life assessment between the modified Rankin Scale and Neuro-QoL measures.
The objective of this study was to describe the physical and cognitive health of patients with differing levels of post-stroke disability as defined by modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores. Cross-sectional correlations were also compared between the mRS and the Quality of Life in Neurological Disorders (Neuro-QoL) T-scores to longitudinal correlations of change estimates for each measure. A total of 745 patients with ischemic stroke (79%) or transient ischemic attack (21%) were enrolled in this study. There were larger differences observed in cognitive function for the severe mRS groups. Larger differences in physical function were observed in the mild-moderate mRS groups. These findings undermine the validity and utility as an outcome measure in longitudinal studies in ischemic stroke patients. But it is still efficient at capturing important differences in patient-reported quality of life, and is useful for identifying meaning cross-sectional differences among clinical subgroups.
AHRQ-funded; HS024366; HS023437; HS000078.
Citation: Askew RL, Capo-Lugo CE, Sangha R .
Trade-offs in quality-of-life assessment between the modified Rankin Scale and Neuro-QoL measures.
Value Health 2020 Oct;23(10):1366-72. doi: 10.1016/j.jval.2020.06.011..
Keywords: Quality of Life, Stroke, Outcomes, Neurological Disorders, Cardiovascular Conditions
Askew RL, Capo-Lugo CE, Naidech A
Differential effects of time to initiation of therapy on disability and quality of life in patients with mild and moderate to severe ischemic stroke.
This study’s objective was to assess the effect of time to therapy consult and treatment on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and disability after ischemic stroke. This prospective cohort study was conducted at a comprehensive stroke center in a large metropolitan city. A modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and Barthel Index (BI) were used to assess disability status. HRQoL was assessed using the Quality of Life in Neurological Disorders measures of executive function, general cognitive concerns, upper extremity dexterity and lower extremity mobility. A longer time to therapy treatment led to increased disability and lower mobility T scores. It also had an effect on poststroke disability and HRQoL up to 1 month after ischemic stroke and TIA.
AHRQ-funded; HS024366; HS023437; HS000078.
Citation: Askew RL, Capo-Lugo CE, Naidech A .
Differential effects of time to initiation of therapy on disability and quality of life in patients with mild and moderate to severe ischemic stroke.
Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2020 Sep;101(9):1515-22.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2020.05.005..
Keywords: Stroke, Cardiovascular Conditions, Quality of Life
O'Halloran JA, Sahrmann J, Butler AM
Brief report: integrase strand transfer inhibitors are associated with lower risk of incident cardiovascular disease in people living with HIV.
AHRQ-funded; HS019455.
Citation: O'Halloran JA, Sahrmann J, Butler AM .
Brief report: integrase strand transfer inhibitors are associated with lower risk of incident cardiovascular disease in people living with HIV.
J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2020 Aug 1;84(4):396-99. doi: 10.1097/qai.0000000000002357..
Keywords: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Cardiovascular Conditions, Medication, Stroke, Heart Disease and Health, Risk
Jackson LR, Kim S, Blanco R
Discontinuation rates of warfarin versus direct acting oral anticoagulants in US clinical practice: results from Outcomes Registry for Better Informed Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation II (ORBIT-AF II).
The objective of this study was to evaluate discontinuation rates among patients on warfarin and direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in clinical practice. Over 10,000 AF patients were enrolled from the ORBIT-AF II Registry as subjects. Findings showed that, in a community based atrial fibrillation cohort, adjusted rates of discontinuation at 12 months were higher in DOAC-treated versus vitamin K antagonist-treated patients. Discontinuation of oral anticoagulation was associated with increased absolute risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular death.
AHRQ-funded; HS021092.
Citation: Jackson LR, Kim S, Blanco R .
Discontinuation rates of warfarin versus direct acting oral anticoagulants in US clinical practice: results from Outcomes Registry for Better Informed Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation II (ORBIT-AF II).
Am Heart J 2020 Aug;226:85-93. doi: 10.1016/j.ahj.2020.04.016..
Keywords: Blood Thinners, Medication, Registries, Stroke, Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions, Outcomes
Hreha KP, Fisher SR, Reistetter TA
Use of the ICD-10 vision codes to study ocular conditions in Medicare beneficiaries with stroke.
The purpose of this study was to describe the use of ICD-10 vision codes in a large cohort of stroke survivors. Findings showed that ocular comorbidity was present in a portion of the studied stroke survivors, but the vision codes used to describe impairments in this population were few and lacked specificity. Recommendations included future studies to compare ophthalmic examination results with billing codes in order to characterize the type and frequency of ocular comorbidity.
AHRQ-funded; HS024711.
Citation: Hreha KP, Fisher SR, Reistetter TA .
Use of the ICD-10 vision codes to study ocular conditions in Medicare beneficiaries with stroke.
BMC Health Serv Res 2020 Jul 8;20(1):628. doi: 10.1186/s12913-020-05484-z..
Keywords: Medicare, Stroke, Cardiovascular Conditions
Govindarajan P, Shiboski S, Grimes B
Effect of acute stroke care regionalization on intravenous alteplase use in two urban counties.
Investigators sought to determine whether increasing access to primary stroke centers (regionalization) led to an increase in intravenous alteplase use in acute ischemic stroke patients. Studying two urban counties in the western region of US that regionalized acute stroke care, they found that in Santa Clara County, intravenous alteplase was administered to 1.7% of patients in the pre-regionalization period and 2.1% in the post-regionalization period, while in San Mateo County, the numbers were 1.3% and 3.2%, respectively. In the post-regionalization phase, San Mateo County had greater change in paramedic stroke detection, higher number of transports to primary stroke centers, and more frequent use of intravenous alteplase at stroke centers. They concluded that greater post-regionalization improvements in San Mateo County contributed to significantly improved county-level thrombolysis use than Santa Clara County.
AHRQ-funded; HS026207; HS017965.
Citation: Govindarajan P, Shiboski S, Grimes B .
Effect of acute stroke care regionalization on intravenous alteplase use in two urban counties.
Prehosp Emerg Care 2020 Jul-Aug;24(4):505-14. doi: 10.1080/10903127.2019.1679303..
Keywords: Stroke, Cardiovascular Conditions, Urban Health, Access to Care, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Critical Care
Jaffe TA, Goldstein JN, Yun BJ
Impact of emergency department crowding on delays in acute stroke care.
This study examined the relationship between emergency department (ED) crowding and timely delivery of emergency stroke care. The authors prospectively collected data from their own institution’s Get with the Guidelines-Stroke registry to identify consecutive acute ischemic stroke patients who came to their urban academic ED from July 2016-August 2018. ED conditions were categorized as normal capacity, high ED crowding, and severe crowding. Of the 1379 patients presenting with ischemic stroke during the study period, 78% presented at normal, 15% during high ED crowding, and 7% during severe crowding times. Outcomes of interest were door-to-imaging (DIT) time. There were no significant delays in stroke care delivery associated with ED crowding.
AHRQ-funded; HS024561.
Citation: Jaffe TA, Goldstein JN, Yun BJ .
Impact of emergency department crowding on delays in acute stroke care.
West J Emerg Med 2020 Jul 8;21(4):892-99. doi: 10.5811/westjem.2020.5.45873..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Stroke, Cardiovascular Conditions, Healthcare Delivery, Quality of Care
Roberts PS, Krishnan S, Burns SP
Inconsistent classification of mild stroke and implications on health services delivery.
The purpose of this study was to conduct a scoping review on classifications of mild stroke based on stroke severity assessments and/or clinical signs and symptoms reported in the literature. The investigators found that inconsistencies in the classification of mild stroke were evident with varying use of stroke severity assessments, measurement cutoff scores, imaging tools, and clinical or functional outcomes.
AHRQ-funded; HS022134.
Citation: Roberts PS, Krishnan S, Burns SP .
Inconsistent classification of mild stroke and implications on health services delivery.
Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2020 Jul;101(7):1243-59. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2019.12.013..
Keywords: Stroke, Cardiovascular Conditions, Healthcare Delivery
Fudim M, Kelly JP, Brophy TJ
Trends in treatment for patients hospitalized with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction before and after Treatment of Preserved Cardiac Function Heart Failure with an Aldosterone Antagonist (TOPCAT).
This study examined treatment trends for patients hospitalized for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) after the Treatment of Preserved Cardiac Function Heart Failure with an Aldosterone Antagonist (TOPCAT) trial, which investigated spironolactone treatment vs placebo in HFpEF patients. This retrospective analysis looked at discharge prescribing data in the Get With The Guidelines-Heart Failure Registry among patients with left ventricular ejection fraction ≥50% discharged between 2009-2016. About 13% of the cohort of 142,201 patients were prescribed mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) at discharge. MRA prescribing increased modestly over time, but the TOPCAT trial did not seem to have an impact.
AHRQ-funded; HS021092.
Citation: Fudim M, Kelly JP, Brophy TJ .
Trends in treatment for patients hospitalized with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction before and after Treatment of Preserved Cardiac Function Heart Failure with an Aldosterone Antagonist (TOPCAT).
Am J Cardiol 2020 Jun 1;125(11):1655-60. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2020.02.038..
Keywords: Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions, Stroke, Medication, Hospitalization, Inpatient Care, Practice Patterns
Capo-Lugo CE, Askew RL, Muldoon K
Longer time before acute rehabilitation therapy worsens disability after intracerebral hemorrhage.
This study examines the association of time to initiation of acute rehabilitation therapy to increases in disability after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and identifies predictors of time to initiation of rehabilitation therapy. Retrospective data analysis was conducted using ICH patients from a large comprehensive stroke center in a metropolitan area. Disability was assessed using a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) with poor outcome defined as mRS 4-6. There was a median time of 3 days from hospital admission and the first consult by any rehabilitation therapy specialist. Each additional day between admission and initiation of acute rehabilitation therapy was associated with odds of poor outcome at 30 days and at 90 days. Predictors of later initiation of acute rehabilitation therapy included heavy drinking (>5 drinks per day), premorbid mRS<4, presence of pulmonary embolism and longer length of stay in the intensive care unit.
AHRQ-funded; HS024366; HS023437; HS000078.
Citation: Capo-Lugo CE, Askew RL, Muldoon K .
Longer time before acute rehabilitation therapy worsens disability after intracerebral hemorrhage.
Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2020 May;101(5):870-76. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2019.11.006..
Keywords: Rehabilitation, Disabilities, Stroke, Cardiovascular Conditions, Outcomes, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research
Nadkarni MA, Maas MB, Batra A
Elevated cerebrospinal fluid protein is associated with unfavorable functional outcome in spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a devastating neurologic event for which markers to assess poor outcome are needed. Elevated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) protein may result from inflammation and blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption that occurs during SAH. In this study, the investigators sought to determine if CSF protein level is associated with functional outcome after SAH.
AHRQ-funded; HS023437.
Citation: Nadkarni MA, Maas MB, Batra A .
Elevated cerebrospinal fluid protein is associated with unfavorable functional outcome in spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage.
J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis 2020 Apr;29(4):104605. doi: 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2019.104605..
Keywords: Stroke, Cardiovascular Conditions, Neurological Disorders, Outcomes, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research
Pinto D, Prabhakaran S, Tipton E
Why physicians prescribe prophylactic seizure medications after intracerebral hemorrhage: an adaptive conjoint analysis.
Seizures are a morbid complication of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and increase the risk for herniation, status epilepticus, and worse patient outcomes. Prophylactic levetiracetam is administered to approximately 40% of patients with ICH. It is unclear which patients are consciously selected for treatment by physicians. In this study, the investigators sought to determine how patients are selected for treatment with prophylactic levetiracetam after ICH.
AHRQ-funded; HS023437.
Citation: Pinto D, Prabhakaran S, Tipton E .
Why physicians prescribe prophylactic seizure medications after intracerebral hemorrhage: an adaptive conjoint analysis.
J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis 2020 Apr;29(4):104628. doi: 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2019.104628..
Keywords: Neurological Disorders, Medication, Prevention, Cardiovascular Conditions, Stroke, Decision Making
Pereira T, Gadhoumi K, Ma M
A supervised approach to robust photoplethysmography quality assessment.
In this paper, the investigators tested the performance of algorithms selected from a body of studies on photoplethysmogram (PPG) quality assessment using a dataset of PPG recordings from patients with AFib. They then proposed machine learning approaches for PPG quality assessment in 30-s segments of PPG recording from 13 stroke patients admitted to the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) neuro intensive care unit and another dataset of 3764 patients from one of the five UCSF general intensive care units.
AHRQ-funded; HS022860.
Citation: Pereira T, Gadhoumi K, Ma M .
A supervised approach to robust photoplethysmography quality assessment.
IEEE J Biomed Health Inform 2020 Mar;24(3):649-57. doi: 10.1109/jbhi.2019.2909065..
Keywords: Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions, Stroke, Diagnostic Safety and Quality
Brand-McCarthy SR, Delaney RK, Noseworthy PA
Can shared decision making improve stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation?: Implications of the updated guidelines.
This paper discusses the need for shared decision making (SDM) in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients not just at the beginning of treatment but throughout during ongoing care. Use of SDM can help with patient adherence to recommended anticoagulation treatment regimens and lifestyle changes. It can help build a strong partnership between clinician and patient.
AHRQ-funded; HS026379.
Citation: Brand-McCarthy SR, Delaney RK, Noseworthy PA .
Can shared decision making improve stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation?: Implications of the updated guidelines.
Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes 2020 Mar;13(3):e006080. doi: 10.1161/circoutcomes.119.006080..
Keywords: Decision Making, Stroke, Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions, Prevention, Guidelines, Blood Thinners, Medication, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication
Sharma R, Zachrison KS, Viswanathan A
Trends in telestroke care delivery: a 15-year experience of an academic hub and its network of spokes.
Telestroke provides access to vascular neurology expertise for hospitals lacking stroke coverage, and its use has risen rapidly in the past decade. In this study the investigators aimed to characterize consultations, spoke behavior, and the relationship between spoke telestroke utilization (number of telestroke consults per year) and spoke alteplase treatment metrics in an academic telestroke network.
AHRQ-funded; HS024561.
Citation: Sharma R, Zachrison KS, Viswanathan A .
Trends in telestroke care delivery: a 15-year experience of an academic hub and its network of spokes.
Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes 2020 Mar;13(3):e005903. doi: 10.1161/circoutcomes.119.005903..
Keywords: Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Stroke, Healthcare Delivery, Care Management, Hospitals
Colton K, Richards CT, Pruitt PB
Early stroke recognition and time-based emergency care performance metrics for intracerebral hemorrhage.
This study compared time for early stroke recognition for intracerebral hemorrhage for hospitals with and without stroke teams. An observational cohort study was conducted at an urban comprehensive stroke center from 2009 to 2017 with 204 cases included. Stroke team activation resulted in faster emergency care compared to no activation. This process resulted in shorter onset-to-arrival times, higher NIH Stroke Scale scores, and higher Glasgow Coma Scale scores.
AHRQ-funded; HS023437.
Citation: Colton K, Richards CT, Pruitt PB .
Early stroke recognition and time-based emergency care performance metrics for intracerebral hemorrhage.
J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis 2020 Feb;29(2):104552. doi: 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2019.104552..
Keywords: Stroke, Emergency Department, Provider Performance, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Quality Improvement, Quality Indicators (QIs), Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Outcomes, Quality of Care, Evidence-Based Practice, Hospitals
Liotta EM, Karmarkar A, Batra A
Magnesium and hemorrhage volume in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Researchers tested the hypothesis that admission serum magnesium levels are associated with extent of hemorrhage in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Their data support the hypothesis that magnesium influences hemorrhage severity in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, potentially through a hemostatic mechanism.
AHRQ-funded; HS023437.
Citation: Liotta EM, Karmarkar A, Batra A .
Magnesium and hemorrhage volume in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Crit Care Med 2020 Jan;48(1):104-10. doi: 10.1097/ccm.0000000000004079..
Keywords: Stroke
Hay CC, Graham JE, Pappadis MR
The impact of one's sex and social living situation on rehabilitation outcomes after a stroke.
The goal of this retrospective observational study was to investigate sex differences and the impact of social living situation on individual functional independence measure outcomes after stroke rehabilitation. Subjects were Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries discharged from inpatient rehabilitation facilities after a stroke. Results showed that when sociodemographic and clinical factors were controlled, females were more likely to discharge from inpatient rehabilitation at a supervision level or better for most functional independence measure items. Individuals who lived alone before their stroke had higher odds of discharging at a supervision level or better.
AHRQ-funded; HS022134.
Citation: Hay CC, Graham JE, Pappadis MR .
The impact of one's sex and social living situation on rehabilitation outcomes after a stroke.
Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2020 Jan;99(1):48-55. doi: 10.1097/phm.0000000000001276..
Keywords: Stroke, Rehabilitation, Elderly, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Sex Factors, Cardiovascular Conditions, Outcomes
Siegler JE, Boehme AK, Fowler BD
Inpatient rehabilitation centers and concern for increasing volume of ischemic stroke patients requiring rehabilitation.
The researchers aimed to quantify the proportion of medically stable ischemic stroke patients with prolonged length of stay (pLOS) caused by a lack of IRF bed availability. They concluded that for the majority of our patients, pLOS was caused by acquired medical complications and delayed disposition, most commonly inpatient rehabilitation.
AHRQ-funded; HS013852.
Citation: Siegler JE, Boehme AK, Fowler BD .
Inpatient rehabilitation centers and concern for increasing volume of ischemic stroke patients requiring rehabilitation.
South Med J 2013 Dec;106(12):693-6. doi: 10.1097/smj.0000000000000036..
Keywords: Stroke, Hospitalization, Hospital Discharge
Sarraj A, Albright K, Barreto AD
Optimizing prediction scores for poor outcome after intra-arterial therapy in anterior circulation acute ischemic stroke.
The researchers sought to optimize a score that combines clinical and imaging variables to more accurately predict poor outcome after intra-arterial therapy (IAT) in anterior circulation occlusions. They concluded that the Houston IAT2 score, which combines clinical and imaging variables, performed better than all previous scores in predicting poor outcome after IAT for anterior circulation large artery occlusions.
AHRQ-funded; HS013852.
Citation: Sarraj A, Albright K, Barreto AD .
Optimizing prediction scores for poor outcome after intra-arterial therapy in anterior circulation acute ischemic stroke.
Stroke 2013 Dec;44(12):3324-30. doi: 10.1161/strokeaha.113.001050..
Keywords: Stroke, Outcomes, Cardiovascular Conditions
Radecki RP
Letter by Radecki regarding article, "safety of thrombolysis in stroke mimics: results from a multicenter cohort study".
In this letter commenting on an article on the treatment of stroke mimics, the author asserts that the difficult question of the acceptable rate of misdiagnosis remains. He suggests that patients undergoing thrombolytic therapy for acute ischemic stroke have confirmatory testing such as an MRI with diffusion-weighted sequences and that the incidence of neuroimaging negative events be reported.
AHRQ-funded; HS017586
Citation: Radecki RP .
Letter by Radecki regarding article, "safety of thrombolysis in stroke mimics: results from a multicenter cohort study".
Stroke. 2013 Sep;44(9):e105. doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.113.002040..
Keywords: Stroke, Decision Making, Patient Safety, Blood Clots