Mechanical thrombectomy for perioperative ischemic stroke following elective inpatient surgery in the United States

Perioperative ischemic stroke significantly increases morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing elective surgery. Mechanical thrombectomy can improve ischemic stroke outcomes, but frequency and trend of its utilization for treatment of perioperative ischemic stroke is not studied. We identified adults who underwent elective inpatient surgery from 2008 to 2018 and suffered from a perioperative ischemic stroke from the Premier Healthcare Database. The difference in mechanical thrombectomy usage before and after the updated recommendation inacute stroke guidelines was assessed in a univariate analysis using a chi-squared test. A segmented regression model was created to assess the change in rate over time.Of 6,349,668 patients with elective inpatient surgery, 12,507 (0.2%) had perioperative ischemic stroke. Mean age (and standard deviation) was 69.5 (11.7) years, and 48.8% were female. Mechanical thrombectomy was used in 1.7% patients and its use increased from 0.0% in 3rd quarter, 2008 to 4.4% in 4th quarter, 2018. Significant increase in the use of mechanical thrombectomy was seen after 3rd quarter, 2015 when its use was incorporated in acute stroke treatment guideline (1.14% before 3rd quarter, 2015 versus 3.07% after; p < 0.0001). Amongst patients with perioperative ischemic stroke, patients who received mechanical thrombectomy were more likely to have their surgery performed at a teaching institute (67.3% versus 53.9%). Although a significant increase in rates of utilization of mechanical thrombectomy was observed, rates of utilization remain low, especially in non-teaching hospitals. This highlights improvements in the management of perioperative ischemic strokes and further opportunities to improve outcomes.