Skip Navigation
Skip to contents

JPMPH : Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health

OPEN ACCESS
SEARCH
Search

Author index

Page Path
HOME > Browse Articles > Author index
Search
Ki-Hwa Yang 1 Article
Annual Endovascular Thrombectomy Case Volume and Thrombectomy-capable Hospitals of Korea in Acute Stroke Care
Eun Hye Park, Seung-sik Hwang, Juhwan Oh, Beom-Joon Kim, Hee-Joon Bae, Ki-Hwa Yang, Ah-Rum Choi, Mi-Yeon Kang, S.V. Subramanian
J Prev Med Public Health. 2023;56(2):145-153.   Published online March 31, 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3961/jpmph.22.318
  • 1,843 View
  • 111 Download
AbstractAbstract AbstractSummary PDFSupplementary Material
Objectives
Although it is difficult to define the quality of stroke care, acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients with moderate-to-severe neurological deficits may benefit from thrombectomy-capable hospitals (TCHs) that have a stroke unit, stroke specialists, and a substantial endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) case volume.
Methods
From national audit data collected between 2013 and 2016, potential EVT candidates arriving within 24 hours with a baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score ≥6 were identified. Hospitals were classified as TCHs (≥15 EVT case/y, stroke unit, and stroke specialists), primary stroke hospitals (PSHs) without EVT (PSHs-without-EVT, 0 case/y), and PSHs-with-EVT. Thirty-day and 1-year case-fatality rates (CFRs) were analyzed using random intercept multilevel logistic regression.
Results
Out of 35 004 AIS patients, 7954 (22.7%) EVT candidates were included in this study. The average 30-day CFR was 16.3% in PSHs-without-EVT, 14.8% in PSHs-with-EVT, and 11.0% in TCHs. The average 1-year CFR was 37.5% in PSHs-without-EVT, 31.3% in PSHs-with-EVT, and 26.2% in TCHs. In TCHs, a significant reduction was not found in the 30-day CFR (odds ratio [OR], 0.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.76 to 1.12), but was found in the 1-year CFR (OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.96).
Conclusions
The 1-year CFR was significantly reduced when EVT candidates were treated at TCHs. TCHs are not defined based solely on the number of EVTs, but also based on the presence of a stroke unit and stroke specialists. This supports the need for TCH certification in Korea and suggests that annual EVT case volume could be used to qualify TCHs.
Summary
Korean summary
급성 허혈성 뇌졸중 환자에서 “혈관 내 혈전제거술(endovascular treatment, EVT)”의 치료효과는 여러 연구를 통해 증명되었으나, EVT 후보군에서 EVT를 제공하기 위한 의료서비스 연구는 부족한 실정이다. 5~7차 뇌졸중 적정성 평가 자료를 활용하여 연간 EVT 시행횟수와 EVT후보군의 30일, 1년 후 치명률 간의 연관성을 다수준 분석을 통해 확인하였다. 연간 15회 이상 EVT를 시행하면서 뇌졸중 전문치료실과 뇌줄중 관련 전문분과(신경과, 신경외과, 재활의학과) 전문의가 모두 있는 병원(TCHs)에서 치료받은 환자는 EVT를 시행하지 않는 병원(PSHs-without-EVT)에서 치료받는 환자에 비해 치명률이 감소하는 경향을 보였다. 이는 뇌졸중 치료체계에서 EVT가능병원을 정의할 필요성을 잘 보여주고, “연간 EVT 시행횟수”는 TCHs를 정의하는 중요한 지표로 사용될 수 있을 것이다.

JPMPH : Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health