• Yongchai Nilanont, Samart Nidhinandana, Nijasri C Suwanwela, Suchat Hanchaiphiboolkul, Taksin Pimpak, Pyatat Tatsanavivat, Gustavo Saposnik, Niphon Poungvarin, and Thai Stroke Registry.
• Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. Electronic address: yongchai.sae@mahidol.ac.th.
• J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis. 2014 Feb 1;23(2):213-9.

BackgroundData concerning quality of acute stroke care and outcome are scarce in developing countries.ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate quality of acute stroke care and stroke outcomes in Thailand.MethodsWe performed a multicenter countrywide prospective cohort study. Consecutive patients with an acute ischemic stroke admitted to the participating institutions between June 2008 and November 2010 were included. Baseline characteristics, process measures including thrombolysis use, acute stroke unit admission, initiation of aspirin within 48 hours, and antithrombotic and/or anticoagulation medication at discharge were recorded. Main outcome measures were death and disability at discharge as well as in-hospital complications.ResultsA total of 1222 patients were included with a mean (±SD) age of 65.0 ± 13 years, and 55.0% were men. Median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score was 6.5. Patients were given aspirin within 48 hours, admitted to acute stroke unit, and given thrombolytic therapy in 71.1%, 24.6%, and 3.8%, respectively. Good recovery at discharge (modified Rankin scale score 0-1) was found in 26.1%, and 3.2% of patients died during hospitalization. The median length of stay was 4 days. Factors predicting poor outcome (modified Rankin scale score 5-6) at discharge included: age (by 10-year increments: adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.23; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06-1.43), female sex (adjusted OR 1.52; 95% CI, 1.05-2.19), initial National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score (adjusted OR 1.35; 95% CI, 1.27-1.43), and in-hospital complications (adjusted OR 3.16; 95% CI, 1.58-6.35).ConclusionsLimited access to acute ischemic stroke care interventions were observed in many domains especially thrombolysis and stroke unit admission. These findings emphasize an urgent need for strategies to improve standard acute stroke care among developing countries.Copyright © 2014 National Stroke Association. All rights reserved.

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