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Objectives: Successful treatment of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) relies on its rapid recognition. It is unclear whether the accepted presentation of chest pain applies to different ethnic groups. We thus examined potential ethnic variations in ACS symptoms and clinical care outcomes in white, South Asian and Chinese patients., Design: Cross-sectional survey., Setting: Participants were hospitalised at 1 of 12 Canadian centres across four provinces., Participants: 1334 patients with ACS (630 white; 488 South Asian; 216 Chinese)., Main Outcome Measures: ACS presentation symptoms (classic/typical midsternal pain/discomfort with or without radiation to the left neck, shoulder or arm) were assessed by self-report. Clinical care outcomes (time to emergency room [ER] presentation, cardiac catheterisation; receipt of cardiac catheterisation, percutaneous coronary intervention [PCI] or coronary artery bypass grafting [CABG]) were obtained by health record audit., Results: The mean age of the sample was 62 years and 30% had ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The most common presenting symptom was midsternal pain/discomfort of any intensity regardless of ethnic status. Yet, a substantial proportion of patients reported atypical symptoms (33% white, 19% South Asian, 20% Chinese; p<0.006). After adjustment for age, sex, education, current smoking, extent of coronary artery disease, presence of diabetes or chronic kidney disease and STEMI vs non-STEMI/unstable angina, South Asians were more likely to present with at least moderate intensity midsternal pain/discomfort (adjusted OR [AOR] 1.44; 95% CI 1.05 to 1.98), whereas Chinese were less likely to present with radiating symptoms (AOR 0.53; 95% CI 0.38 to 0.74) compared with whites. South Asians with atypical pain (relative to those with midsternal pain/discomfort) took significantly longer to present to the ER (p=0.037), and were less likely to receive PCI (p=0.008) or CABG (p=0.041)., Conclusions: Atypical presentations were associated with greater delays in arrival to the emergency department and reduced invasive cardiovascular care in South Asians., Competing Interests: Competing interests: RT reports grants from Merck Canada, personal fees from Merck Canada, outside the submitted work., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Comparison of a multimodal intervention WE CALL (study initiated phone support/information provision) versus a passive intervention YOU CALL (participant can contact a resource person) in individuals with first mild stroke., Methods and Results: This study is a single-blinded randomized clinical trial. Primary outcome includes unplanned use of health services (participant diaries) for adverse events and quality of life (Euroquol-5D, Quality of Life Index). Secondary outcomes include planned use of health services (diaries), mood (Beck Depression Inventory II), and participation (Assessment of Life Habits [LIFE-H]). Blind assessments were done at baseline, 6, and 12 months. A mixed model approach for statistical analysis on an intention-to-treat basis was used where the group factor was intervention type and occasion factor time, with a significance level of 0.01. We enrolled 186 patients (WE=92; YOU=94) with a mean age of 62.5 ± 12.5 years, and 42.5% were women. No significant differences were seen between groups at 6 months for any outcomes with both groups improving from baseline on all measures (effect sizes ranged from 0.25 to 0.7). The only significant change for both groups from 6 months to 1 year (n=139) was in the social domains of the LIFE-H (increment in score, 0.4/9 ± 1.3 [95% confidence interval, 0.1-0.7]; effect size, 0.3). Qualitatively, the WE CALL intervention was perceived as reassuring, increased insight, and problem solving while decreasing anxiety. Only 6 of 94 (6.4%) YOU CALL participants availed themselves of the intervention., Conclusions: Although the 2 groups improved equally over time, WE CALL intervention was perceived as helpful, whereas YOU CALL intervention was not used., Clinical Trial Registration: URL: http://www.controlled-trials.com. Unique identifier: ISRCTN95662526.

Objective: To describe clinical characteristics and evaluate processes of care and outcomes at discharge in patients with ischemic stroke with and without preexisting dementia., Methods: Retrospective cohort study using the Registry of the Canadian Stroke Network including patients presenting with an acute ischemic stroke between 2003 and 2008. Preexisting dementia was defined as any type of dementia that was present prior to the index stroke case. Palliative patients were excluded. Demographic information, clinical presentation, selected process measures (e.g., thrombolysis, admission to stroke unit, carotid imaging, stroke prevention), pneumonia, death, disability, and disposition at discharge were analyzed., Results: Among 9,304 eligible patients with an acute ischemic stroke, 702 (9.1%) had a history of dementia. Patients with dementia were older (mean age 81 vs 70 years; p < 0.001), had more severe strokes (Canadian Neurological Scale score <4, 20.7% vs 10.5%; p < 0.001), and were more likely to have atrial fibrillation (22.8% vs 15.3%; p < 0.001) than those without dementia. Patients with dementia were slightly less likely to be admitted to a stroke unit (63% vs 67.6%; odds ratio [OR] 0.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.70-0.96) or to receive thrombolysis (10.5% vs 15.7%; OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.49-0.81). There were no differences in other performance measures. Patients with preexisting dementia had higher disability at discharge (OR 3.20, 95% CI 2.64-3.87) and were less likely to be discharged to their prestroke place of residence (24% vs 45%; p < 0.001)., Conclusions: In patients with stroke, preexisting dementia is associated with high rates of disability and institutionalization, representing an increasing challenge for the health care system.

Objectives: Pneumonia is the most common medical complication after stroke. Although several risk factors have been reported, the role of common comorbidities in the development of pneumonia is not well established. Moreover, there is discrepancy in the literature regarding the impact of pneumonia on stroke outcomes., Methods: This is a multicenter retrospective cohort study including consecutive patients with ischemic stroke admitted to Regional Stroke Centers participating in the Registry of Canadian Stroke Network in July 2003-March 2007. Pneumonia was defined as a complication that occurred within the first 30 days of the stroke and was confirmed radiographically. The main outcome measure was adjusted 30-day mortality. Secondary outcomes were adjusted 7- and 365-day mortality, institutionalization, length of stay, and modified Rankin score on discharge. We also assessed the impact of organized stroke care on pneumonia development and mortality., Results: Overall, 8,251 patients were included in the study. Stroke-associated pneumonia was observed in 587 patients (7.1%). Pneumonia increased 30-day (odds ratio [OR] 2.2 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.8-2.7]) and 1-year mortality (OR 3.0 [95% CI 2.5-3.7]), but not 7-day mortality. Pneumonia was associated with poor functional outcome. Higher access to organized inpatient care resulted in a reduction of 30-day mortality (OR 0.50 [95% CI 0.41-0.61]). Older age, male sex, stroke severity, dysphagia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary artery disease, nonlacunar ischemic stroke, and preadmission dependency were independent predictors of pneumonia., Conclusions: Development of pneumonia after stroke was associated with mortality at 30 days and 1 year, longer length of stay, and dependency at discharge. Patients who received more inpatient stroke services had reduced mortality after pneumonia.

Background: There are limited data on the effectiveness of organized stroke care in different ischemic stroke subtypes in the real-world setting. We analyzed the effect of organized stroke care in all stroke subtypes in a longitudinal cohort study using data from the Registry of the Canadian Stroke Network., Methods: Between July 2003 and September 2007, there were 6,223 consecutive patients with ischemic stroke subtype information by Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment criteria. Subtypes were categorized as large artery atherosclerotic disease, lacunar, cardioembolic, or other. The amount of organized stroke care was quantified using the previously published organized care index (OCI), graded 0-3 based on the presence or absence of occupational therapy or physiotherapy, stroke team assessment, and admission to a stroke unit., Results: Mortality at 30 days was associated with both stroke subtype and OCI. Higher OCI (defined as score 2-3 compared to 0-1) was strongly associated with lower odds of 30-day mortality in each ischemic stroke subtype (adjusted odds ratio estimates ranged from 0.16 to 0.43, p < 0.001, controlling for age, gender, stroke severity, and medical comorbidities by logistic regression). These estimates were essentially unchanged after excluding patients treated with palliative care. Numbers needed to treat, to prevent 1 death at 30 days, ranged from 4 to 9 across the subtypes., Conclusions: A strong association between higher OCI and lower 30-day mortality was apparent in each ischemic stroke subtype. These data suggest that organized stroke care should be provided to stroke patients regardless of stroke subtype.

Objective: Stroke thrombolysis may have a differential effect by sex. We sought to examine the relationship between sex and outcome after thrombolysis., Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of stroke patients from the Registry of Canadian Stroke Network phase 1 (June 2001-February 2002) and phase 2 (June 2002-December 2002). Variables including demographics, history, clinical data, process measures, and outcome were analyzed. The primary outcomes were the Stroke Impact Scale-16 score (SIS-16) and mortality at 6 months. We compared the outcomes of the thrombolyzed and nonthrombolyzed cohorts and examined the data for a tissue plasminogen activator (tPA)-by-sex interaction on the 2 primary outcomes., Results: The overall proportion of patients who achieved an excellent outcome (SIS-16 >75) was not different by gender. However, the proportion of patients achieving an excellent outcome in the non-tPA cohort was much greater in males, with an absolute risk difference of 11.8%. A multiplicative treatment by sex interaction was evident (p = 0.054). This interaction was not present for stroke case fatality., Conclusions: Women fared poorly compared to men in the placebo groups, but this negative prognostic sex effect was neutralized by thrombolysis.

Background: Traditional vascular risk factors appear to exert varying magnitudes of risk for different major vascular events. For example, hypercholesterolemia is a much stronger risk factor for myocardial infarction than ischemic stroke. Limited evidence also suggests that vascular risk factors may exert differing magnitudes of risk for ischemic stroke within different cerebral arterial territories. We sought to determine the association between traditional vascular risk factors and the location of ischemic stroke (posterior versus anterior)., Methods: Consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke who were admitted to 11 regional stroke centers within the Registry of the Canadian Stroke Network were included in the study sample. The Oxfordshire Community Stroke Project classification was used to distinguish posterior from anterior circulation ischemic stroke. Multivariable logistic regression was applied to determine the association between risk factors (age, gender, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, atrial fibrillation and smoking history) and posterior (compared to anterior) circulation ischemic stroke., Results: In total, 8,489 patients with acute ischemic stroke were included. On multivariable analysis, diabetes mellitus (OR = 1.14; 95% CI = 1.02-1.27) was associated with an increased odds of posterior circulation ischemic stroke, whereas age (OR = 0.86; 95% CI = 0.83-0.90), female sex (OR = 0.84; 95% CI = 0.76-0.93), atrial fibrillation (OR = 0.83; 95% CI = 0.74-0.94) and pulmonary edema (OR = 0.74; 95% CI = 0.62-0.88) were related to a reduced odds of posterior compared with anterior circulation ischemic stroke., Conclusions: Some traditional vascular risk factors for ischemic stroke appear to exert different magnitudes of risk for posterior compared to anterior circulation ischemic stroke., ((c) 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Background: In ambulatory care settings, patients with limited English proficiency receive lower quality of care. Limited information is available describing outcomes for inpatients., Objective: To investigate the effect of English proficiency on length of stay (LOS) and in-hospital mortality., Design: Retrospective analysis of administrative data at 3 tertiary care teaching hospitals (University Health Network) in Toronto, Canada., Participants: Consecutive inpatient admissions from April 1993 to December 1999 were analyzed for LOS differences first by looking at 23 medical and surgical conditions (59,547 records) and then by a meta-analysis of 220 case mix groups (189,119 records). We performed a similar analysis for in-hospital mortality., Measurements: LOS and odds of in-hospital death for limited English-proficient (LEP) patients relative to English-proficient (EP) patients., Results: LEP patients stayed in hospital longer for 7 of 23 conditions (unstable coronary syndromes and chest pain, coronary artery bypass grafting, stroke, craniotomy procedures, diabetes mellitus, major intestinal and rectal procedures, and elective hip replacement), with LOS differences ranging from approximately 0.7 to 4.3 days. A meta-analysis using all admission data demonstrated that LEP patients stayed 6% (approximately 0.5 days) longer overall than EP patients (95% confidence interval, 0.04 to 0.07). LEP patients were not at increased risk of in-hospital death (relative odds, 1.0; 95% confidence interval, 0.9 to 1.1)., Conclusions: Patients with limited English proficiency have longer hospital stays for some medical and surgical conditions. Limited English proficiency does not affect in-hospital mortality. The effect of communication barriers on outcomes of care in the inpatient setting requires further exploration, particularly for selected conditions in which length of stay is significantly prolonged.