Regional Intervention of Stroke Care to Increase Thrombolytic Therapy for Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Background and Purpose- The aims of this study were to investigate the effect of an intervention to unblind data on r-tPA (recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator) administration and sharing data with chief executive officers of participating hospitals, on r-tPA administration rates postintervention and on potential healthcare cost savings implemented at 26 Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council hospitals. Methods- Retrospective analysis of prospective data on thrombolytic therapy from 26 Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council hospitals, collected between April 2014 and June 2016. The control (blinded) period (Q2-2014 to Q2-2015) was followed by unblinding (Q3-2015).

Secondary Stroke Prevention in Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation.

Approximately 750,000 US adults per year experience a stroke. On average, the annual risk for future ischemic stroke (secondary stroke) after an initial ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack is approximately 3% to 4%. Cardioembolic strokes account for 20% to 25% of all strokes, with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) considered one of the main sources of embolism; this explains up to half of all cardioembolic strokes.