Predictors of Time to Aneurysm Repair and Mortality in Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND : Prompt aneurysm repair is essential to prevent rebleeding after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. To date, most studies on this topic have focused on 1 set of predictors (eg, hospital or patient characteristics) and on 1 outcome (either time to aneurysm repair or mortality). The purpose of this study was to test a model that includes hospital and patient characteristics as predictors of time to aneurysm repair and mortality, controlling for disease severity and comorbidity, and considering time to aneurysm repair as a potential influence in these relationships. METHODS : A sample of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage patients with a principal procedure of clipping or coiling was selected (n = 387) from a statewide administrative database for cross-sectional retrospective analysis. The primary study outcome was in-hospital mortality. Independent variables were level of stroke center, age, race, sex, and type of aneurysm repair. Hierarchical logistic regression was used to estimate the probability of in-hospital death. RESULTS : Patients who underwent a coiling procedure were more likely to be treated within the first 24 hours of admission compared with those undergoing clipping (odds ratio, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.35-0.84; P = .01). Patients treated at a certified comprehensive stroke center (CSC) had a 72% reduction in odds of death compared with those treated at primary stroke centers (odds ratio, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.10-0.77; P = .01), after controlling for disease severity and comorbid conditions. Time to aneurysm repair was not significantly associated with mortality and did not influence the relationship between hospital and patient characteristics and mortality. CONCLUSION : Our results indicate that treatment at a CSC was associated with a lower risk of in-hospital mortality. Time to aneurysm repair did not influence mortality and did not explain the mortality benefit observed in CSCs. Research is needed to explore interdisciplinary hospital factors including nursing and nurse-sensitive interventions that may explain the relationship between CSCs and mortality outcomes.