This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Mechanical thrombectomy improves outcomes, costs related to stroke
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
The use of mechanical thrombectomy to treat large vessel stroke shortened hospital stays and led to more frequent discharges to patients’ homes while reducing costs, according to data presented at the Society for NeuroInterventional Surgery Annual Meeting.
Sanjeev Nayak, MRCP(UK), FRCR, a neurointerventionalist at the University Hospital of North Midlands, Stroke-on-Trent, U.K., evaluated data on 198 patients who received mechanical thrombectomy for the treatment of acute stroke at a single facility in the United Kingdom between 2010 and 2014. The researchers assessed clinical outcomes as indicated by a modified Rankin score at 90 days after the procedure and cost savings for the hospital related to patient improvement and reduced inpatient stay.
At follow-up, 47% of patients were alive and had regained their independence after stroke. The mortality rate was 17%.
The median length of hospital stay was 14 days, compared with a 90-day average stay prior to the use of mechanical thrombectomy. Nearly all patients (91%) were discharged to their homes as opposed to a nursing facility.
Nayak calculated a net cost savings of approximately $5 million, translating to $1.1 million per 100,000 people treated. He attributed the majority of savings to the observed reduction in length of hospital stay.
He concluded that between 20,000 and 25,000 patients in the United Kingdom could benefit from mainstream use of mechanical thrombectomy for the treatment of large vessel strokes, while also yielding significant cost savings for both institutions and community-based care.
“Not only are we seeing patient mortality and time in the hospital reduced dramatically when treating large vessel clots with mechanical thrombectomy, but we are saving money in the process. This procedure shows strong benefit, both for eligible patients and our healthcare system as a whole,” Nayak said in a press release. – by Adam Taliercio
For more information:
Nayak S. Presented at: Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery Annual Meeting; July 27-30, 2015; San Francisco.
Disclosure: Nayak reports no relevant financial disclosures.