BackgroundFactors influencing access to stroke unit (SU) care and data on quality of SU care in Germany are scarce. We investigated characteristics of patients directly admitted to a SU as well as patient-related and structural factors influencing adherence to predefined indicators of quality of acute stroke care across hospitals providing SU care.MethodsData were derived from the German Stroke Registers Study Group (ADSR), a voluntary network of 9 regional registers for monitoring quality of acute stroke care in Germany. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate characteristics influencing direct admission to SU. Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMM) were used to estimate the influence of structural hospital characteristics (percentage of patients admitted to SU, year of SU-certification, and number of stroke and TIA patients treated per year) on adherence to predefined quality indicators.ResultsIn 2012 180,887 patients were treated in 255 hospitals providing certified SU care participating within the ADSR were included in the analysis; of those 82.4% were directly admitted to a SU. Ischemic stroke patients without disturbances of consciousness (p < .0001), an interval onset to admission time ≤3 h (p < .0001), and weekend admission (p < .0001) were more likely to be directly admitted to a SU. A higher proportion of quality indicators within predefined target ranges were achieved in hospitals with a higher proportion of SU admission (p = 0.0002). Quality of stroke care could be maintained even if certification was several years ago.ConclusionsDifferences in demographical and clinical characteristics regarding the probability of SU admission were observed. The influence of structural characteristics on adherence to evidence-based quality indicators was low.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12883-017-0819-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background: The risk of stroke after cardiac and carotid surgery is well established. In contrast, stroke risk in association with non-cardiac and non-carotid surgery and its time course are insufficiently known. We investigated the prevalence of recent and planned surgery among patients with stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA), time dependency of stroke risk, stroke etiology, and interruption of antithrombotic medication in association with surgery. Methods: Data on type and date of surgery and similar interventions within the last year or planned for the next 2 weeks were anonymously collected together with demographic data, vascular risk factors, stroke severity, handicap before stroke and stroke etiology within a state-wide, mandatory, hospital-based acute stroke care quality monitoring project (Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany) for 1 year (2010). Results: Non-carotid and non-cardiothoracic surgery was reported as performed within 1 year before the index event or as planned for the next 2 weeks thereafter in 532 out of 12,120 patients with ischemic stroke/TIA (4.4%). Compared to 91-365 days before stroke/TIA as reference period, risk of cerebral ischemia (per day analysis) was increased for surgery within 61-90 days before ischemia (rate ratio 2.0, 95% CI 1.5-2.8) and continuously increased along shorter intervals between stroke and surgery (31-60 days: rate ratio 3.6, 95% CI 2.9-4.5; 15-30 days: rate ratio 8.2, 95% CI 6.7-10.1; 8-14 days: rate ratio 13.2, 95% CI 10.3-16.8; 4-7 days: rate ratio 16.5, 95% CI 12.2-22.1) peaking at an interval of 1-3 days before ischemia (rate ratio 34.0, 95% CI 26.9-42.8). On the day of surgery, rate ratio was 14.8 (95% CI 7.8-27.9) and for planned surgery it was 2.7 (95% CI 1.8-4.0). Results were similar for first-ever and for recurrent ischemic stroke. Perioperative stroke/TIA was positively associated with atrial fibrillation and cardioembolic stroke etiology, higher mortality, more severe neurological deficits at discharge, and longer hospital stay; and it was inversely associated with microangiopathic etiology and discharge at home. In 34.5% of patients with recent/planned surgery, prior antithrombotic or anticoagulant medication had been interrupted. Conclusions: Recent or planned surgery imposes a considerable short-term stroke risk particularly by cardioembolism with cessation of medication as an important contributor. Stroke after surgery is associated with poor outcome and high mortality. Better strategies to reduce the burden of perioperative stroke are urgently required.

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Background and Purpose: Quality indicators (QI) are an accepted tool to measure performance of hospitals in routine care. We investigated the association between quality of acute stroke care defined by overall adherence to evidence-based QI and early outcome in German acute care hospitals. Methods: Patients with ischemic stroke admitted to one of the hospitals cooperating within the ADSR (German Stroke Register Study Group) were analyzed. The ADSR is a voluntary network of 9 regional stroke registers monitoring quality of acute stroke care across 736 hospitals in Germany. Quality of stroke care was defined by adherence to 11 evidence-based indicators of early processes of stroke care. The correlation between overall adherence to QI with outcome was investigated by assessing the association between 7-day in-hospital mortality with the proportion of QI fulfilled from the total number of QI the individual patient was eligible for. Generalized linear mixed model analysis was performed adjusted for the variables age, sex, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and living will and as random effect for the variable hospital. Results: Between 2015 and 2016, 388 012 patients with ischemic stroke were reported (median age 76 years, 52.4% male). Adherence to distinct QI ranged between 41.0% (thrombolysis in eligible patients) and 95.2% (early physiotherapy). Seven-day in-hospital mortality was 3.4%. The overall proportion of QI fulfilled was median 90% (interquartile range, 75%–100%). In multivariable analysis, a linear association between overall adherence to QI and 7-day in-hospital-mortality was observed (odds ratio adherence <50% versus 100%, 12.7 [95% CI, 11.8–13.7]; P <0.001). Conclusions: Higher quality of care measured by adherence to a set of evidence-based process QI for the early phase of stroke treatment was associated with lower in-hospital mortality.

The defined targets were reached for most of the quality indicators. Some indicators, however, varied widely across regional quality assurance projects. This implies that the standardization of care for stroke patients in Germany has not yet been fully achieved.