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Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has wrought negative consequences concerning quality of care for stroke patients since its onset. Prospective population-based data about stroke care in the pandemic are limited. This study aims to investigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on stroke profile and care in Joinville, Brazil. Methods: A prospective population-based cohort enrolled the first-ever cerebrovascular events in Joinville, Brazil, and a comparative analyzes was conducted between the first 12 months following COVID-19 restrictions (starting March 2020) and the 12 months just before. Patients with transient ischemic attack (TIA) or stroke had their profiles, incidences, subtypes, severity, access to reperfusion therapy, in-hospital stay, complementary investigation, and mortality compared. Results: The profiles of TIA/stroke patients in both periods were similar, with no differences in gender, age, severity, or comorbidities. There was a reduction in incidence of TIA (32.8%; p = 0.003). In both periods, intravenous thrombolysis (IV) and mechanical thrombectomy (MT) rates and intervals from door to IV/MT were similar. Patients with cardioembolic stroke and atrial fibrillation had their in-hospital stay abbreviated. The etiologic investigation was similar before and during the pandemic, but there were increases in cranial tomographies (p = 0.02), transthoracic echocardiograms (p = 0.001), chest X-rays (p < 0.001) and transcranial Doppler ultrasounds (p < 0.001). The number of cranial magnetic resonance imaging decreased in the pandemic. In-hospital mortality did not change. Discussion: The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with a reduction in TIA, without any influence on stroke profile, the quality of stroke care, in-hospital investigation or mortality. Our findings show an effective response by the local stroke care system and offer convincing evidence that interdisciplinary efforts are the ideal approach to avoiding the COVID-19 pandemic's negative effects, even with scarce resources.
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The unsustainable increases in healthcare expenses and waste have motivated the migration of reimbursement strategies from volume to value. Value-based healthcare requires detailed comprehension of cost information at the patient level. This study introduces a clinical risk- and outcome-adjusted cost estimate model for stroke care sustained on time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC). In a cohort and multicentre study, a TDABC tool was developed to evaluate the costs per stroke patient, allowing us to identify and describe differences in cost by clinical risk at hospital arrival, treatment strategies and modified Rankin Score (mRS) at discharge. The clinical risk was confirmed by multivariate analysis and considered patients' National Institute for Health Stroke Scale and age. Descriptive cost analyses were conducted, followed by univariate and multivariate models to evaluate the risk levels, therapies and mRS stratification effect in costs. Then, the risk-adjusted cost estimate model for ischaemic stroke treatment was introduced. All the hospitals collected routine prospective data from consecutive patients admitted with ischaemic stroke diagnosis confirmed. A total of 822 patients were included. The median cost was I$2210 (interquartile range: I$1163-4504). Fifty percent of the patients registered a favourable outcome mRS (0-2), costing less at all risk levels, while patients with the worst mRS (5-6) registered higher costs. Those undergoing mechanical thrombectomy had an incremental cost for all three risk levels, but this difference was lower for high-risk patients. Estimated costs were compared to observed costs per risk group, and there were no significant differences in most groups, validating the risk and outcome-adjusted cost estimate model. By introducing a risk-adjusted cost estimate model, this study elucidates how healthcare delivery systems can generate local cost information to support value-based reimbursement strategies employing the data collection instruments and analysis developed in this study.
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Isquemia Encefálica , AVC Isquêmico , Acidente Vascular Cerebral , Brasil , Análise Custo-Benefício , Humanos , Estudos Prospectivos , Acidente Vascular Cerebral/terapiaRESUMO
Decision-making in the field of healthcare is a very complex activity. Several tools have been developed to support the decision-making process. DMN, a modeling technique focused on decisions, is among these and has been gaining prominence in both, literature and business, as has the multi-criteria method PROMETHEE II that helps decision-makers with multi-criteria in analyses. Thus, this research targets combining these two techniques and analyzing the decision support that these two tools afford together. The diagnostic stage of stroke patients was used to perform this work. The research demonstrated that this proposal can drive major gains in efficiency and assertiveness in decision-making in time-sensitive hospital processes. After all, there is a noticeable dearth of hospitals with specialized teams as well as a shortfall of adequate infrastructure for this treatment.
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Acidente Vascular Cerebral , Tomada de Decisões , Humanos , Acidente Vascular Cerebral/diagnóstico , Acidente Vascular Cerebral/terapiaRESUMO
Medical assistance to stroke patients must start as early as possible; however, several changes have impacted healthcare services during the Covid-19 pandemic. This research aimed to identify the stroke onset-to-door time during the Covid-19 pandemic considering the different paths a patient can take until receiving specialized care. It is a retrospective study based on process mining (PM) techniques applied to 221 electronic healthcare records of stroke patients during the pandemic. The results are two process models representing the patient's path and performance, from the onset of the first symptoms to admission to specialized care. PM techniques have discovered the patient journey in providing fast stroke assistance.
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COVID-19 , Acidente Vascular Cerebral , COVID-19/epidemiologia , Humanos , Pandemias , Estudos Retrospectivos , Acidente Vascular Cerebral/diagnóstico , Acidente Vascular Cerebral/terapia , Terapia Trombolítica , Tempo para o TratamentoRESUMO
BACKGROUND: The RESILIENT trial demonstrated the clinical benefit of mechanical thrombectomy in patients presenting acute ischemic stroke secondary to anterior circulation large vessel occlusion in Brazil. AIMS: This economic evaluation aims to assess the cost-utility of mechanical thrombectomy in the RESILIENT trial from a public healthcare perspective. METHODS: A cost-utility analysis was applied to compare mechanical thrombectomy plus standard medical care (n = 78) vs. standard medical care alone (n = 73), from a subset sample of the RESILIENT trial (151 of 221 patients). Real-world direct costs were considered, and utilities were imputed according to the Utility-Weighted modified Rankin Score. A Markov model was structured, and probabilistic and deterministic sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate the robustness of results. RESULTS: The incremental costs and quality-adjusted life years gained with mechanical thrombectomy plus standard medical care were estimated at Int$ 7440 and 1.04, respectively, compared to standard medical care alone, yielding an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of Int$ 7153 per quality-adjusted life year. The deterministic sensitivity analysis demonstrated that mRS-6 costs of the first year most affected the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. After 1000 simulations, most of results were below the cost-effective threshold. CONCLUSIONS: The intervention's clear long-term benefits offset the initially higher costs of mechanical thrombectomy in the Brazilian public healthcare system. Such therapy is likely to be cost-effective and these results were crucial to incorporate mechanical thrombectomy in the Brazilian public stroke centers.
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Objetivo: Analisar o custo-efetividade da trombólise com alteplase no tratamento de acidente vascular isquêmico (AVCi) agudo em até 4,5 horas após início dos sintomas em comparação com tratamento clínico conservador, sob a perspectiva do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) no Brasil. Métodos: Construiu-se um modelo de Markov para simular o tratamento de AVCi agudo e suas consequências em curto e longo prazo. Foram conduzidas análises de custo-efetividade (anos de vida ganhos, AVG) e custo-utilidade (anos de vida ajustados pela qualidade de vida, QALY), considerando um horizonte temporal de tempo de vida. Parâmetros de eficácia e segurança foram obtidos em uma metanálise de dados individuais, considerando tratamento em até 3 horas e 3-4,5 horas. Os custos agudos e crônicos foram obtidos por análise secundária de dados de um hospital público brasileiro e expressos em reais (R$). Foram conduzidas análises de sensibilidade determinística e probabilística. Utilizou-se como limiar de disposição a pagar (LDP) 1 PIB (produto interno bruto) per capita para 2019 no Brasil (R$ 31.833,50). Resultados: O tratamento com alteplase vs. conservador resultou em incremento de 0,22 AVG, 0,32 QALY e R$ 4.320,12 em custo, com razão de custo-efetividade incremental (RCEI) estimada em R$ 19.996,43/AVG e R$ 13.383,64/QALY. Ambas as estimativas foram mais sensíveis a variações na efetividade e nos custos de tratamento agudo com alteplase. Para RCEI/AVG e RCEI/QALY, 70,7% e 93,1% das simulações na análise de sensibilidade probabilística estavam abaixo do LDP, respectivamente. Conclusões: O tratamento com alteplase até 4,5 horas após o início dos sintomas tem elevada probabilidade de ser custo-efetivo na perspectiva do SUS.
Objective: To assess the cost-effectiveness of thrombolysis with alteplase for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke up to 4.5 hours after the onset of symptoms as compared to conservative medical treatment from the perspective of the Brazilian Public Health System. Methods: A Markov model was used to simulate the treatment of acute stroke and the associated short- and long-term consequences. Cost-effectiveness (life-years gained, LYG) and cost-utility (quality-adjusted life years, QALY) analyses were performed considering a lifetime horizon. Efficacy and safety parameters were obtained from a meta-analysis of individual data, considering treatment within 3 hours and 3-4.5 hours after the onset of symptoms. Acute and chronic costs were derived from a secondary analysis of data obtained from a Brazilian public hospital and expressed in Brazilian reais (R$). Probabilistic and deterministic sensitivity analyses were performed. The willingness to pay threshold (WPT) was established as 1 GDP per capita for 2019 in Brazil (R$ 31,833.50). Results: Treatment with alteplase vs. conservative medical treatment was associated with an increase of 0.22 in LYG, 0.32 in QALY, and R$ 4,320.12 in cost. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was estimated as R$ 19,996.43/LYG and R$ 13,383.64/QALY. Variations in effectiveness and costs of acute alteplase treatment had the greatest impact on sensitivity analyses. Considering ICER/LYG and ICER /QALY, 70.7% and 93.1% of the simulations in probabilistic sensitivity analysis were below the WPT, respectively. Conclusions: Treatment with alteplase up to 4.5 hours after the onset of symptoms has a high probability of being cost-effective from the perspective of the Brazilian Public Health System.
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Sistema Único de Saúde , Análise Custo-Benefício , Ativador de Plasminogênio Tecidual , Acidente Vascular CerebralRESUMO
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Since the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, doctors and public authorities have demonstrated concern about the reduction in quality of care for other health conditions due to social restrictions and lack of resources. Using a population-based stroke registry, we investigated the impact of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in stroke admissions in Joinville, Brazil. METHODS: Patients admitted after the onset of COVID-19 restrictions in the city (defined as March 17, 2020) were compared with those admitted in 2019. We analyzed differences between stroke incidence, types, severity, reperfusion therapies, and time from stroke onset to admission. Statistical tests were also performed to compare the 30 days before and after COVID-19 to the same period in 2019. RESULTS: We observed a decrease in total stroke admissions from an average of 12.9/100 000 per month in 2019 to 8.3 after COVID-19 (P=0.0029). When compared with the same period in 2019, there was a 36.4% reduction in stroke admissions. There was no difference in admissions for severe stroke (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score >8), intraparenchymal hemorrhage, and subarachnoid hemorrhage. CONCLUSIONS: The onset of COVID-19 was correlated with a reduction in admissions for transient, mild, and moderate strokes. Given the need to prevent the worsening of symptoms and the occurrence of medical complications in these groups, a reorganization of the stroke-care networks is necessary to reduce collateral damage caused by COVID-19.
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Infecções por Coronavirus/epidemiologia , Ataque Isquêmico Transitório/epidemiologia , Pandemias , Admissão do Paciente/estatística & dados numéricos , Pneumonia Viral/epidemiologia , Acidente Vascular Cerebral/epidemiologia , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Brasil/epidemiologia , COVID-19 , Feminino , Humanos , Incidência , Hemorragias Intracranianas/epidemiologia , Hemorragias Intracranianas/terapia , Ataque Isquêmico Transitório/terapia , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Qualidade da Assistência à Saúde , Reperfusão , Acidente Vascular Cerebral/terapia , Hemorragia Subaracnóidea/epidemiologia , Hemorragia Subaracnóidea/terapiaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: It is unknown if improvements in ischemic stroke (IS) outcomes reported after cerebral reperfusion therapies (CRT) in developed countries are also applicable to the "real world" scenario of low and middle-income countries. We aimed to measure the long-term outcomes of severe IS treated or not with CRT in Brazil. METHODS: Patients from a stroke center of a state-run hospital were included. We compared the survival probability and functional status at 3 and 12 months in patients with severe IS treated or not with CRT. From 2010 to 2011, we performed intravenous reperfusion when patients arrived within 4.5 h time-window (IVT group) and after 2011, mechanical thrombectomy (MT) combined or not with intravenous alteplase (IAT group). Those who arrived >4.5 h in 2010-2011 and >6 h in 2012-2017 did not undergo CRT (NCRT group). RESULTS: From 2010 to 2017, we registered 917 patients: 74% (677/917) in the NCRT group, 19% (178/917) in the IVT group and 7% (62/917) in the IAT group. Compared to the NCRT group, IVT patients had a 28% higher (HR: 0.72; 95% CI 0.53-0.96) 3-month adjusted probability of survival and risk of functional dependence was 19% lower (adjusted RR: 0.81; 95% CI 0.73-0.91). For those who underwent MT, the adjusted probability of survival was 59 % higher (HR: 0.41; 95% CI 0.21-0.77) and the risk of functional dependence was 21% lower (adjusted RR: 0.79; 95% CI 0.66-094). These outcomes remained significantly better throughout the first year. CONCLUSION: CRT led to better outcomes in patients with severe IS in Brazil.
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Isquemia Encefálica/terapia , Revascularização Cerebral/métodos , Países em Desenvolvimento , AVC Isquêmico/terapia , Trombectomia/métodos , Terapia Trombolítica/métodos , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Isquemia Encefálica/diagnóstico , Isquemia Encefálica/epidemiologia , Brasil/epidemiologia , Revascularização Cerebral/tendências , Feminino , Fibrinolíticos/uso terapêutico , Seguimentos , Humanos , AVC Isquêmico/diagnóstico , AVC Isquêmico/epidemiologia , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Sistema de Registros , Trombectomia/tendências , Terapia Trombolítica/tendências , Resultado do TratamentoRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Few studies from low- and middle-income countries have assessed stroke and cerebral reperfusion costs from the private sector. To measure the in-hospital costs of ischemic stroke (IS), with and without cerebral reperfusion, primary intracerebral hemorrhage (PIH), subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and transient ischemic attacks (TIA) in two private hospitals in Joinville, Brazil. METHODS: Prospective disease-cost study. All medical and nonmedical costs for patients admitted with any stroke type or TIA were consecutively determined in 2016-17. All costs were adjusted to the gross domestic product deflator index and purchasing power parity. RESULTS: We included 173 patients. The median cost per patient was US$3,827 (IQR: 2,800-8,664) for the 131 IS patients; US$2,315 (IQR: 1,692-2,959) for the 27 TIA patients; US$16,442 (IQR: 5,108-33,355) for the 11 PIH patients and US$28,928 (IQR: 12,424-48,037) for the four SAH patients (p < 0.00001). For the six IS patients who underwent intravenous thrombolysis, the median cost per patient was US$11,463 (IQR: 8,931-14,291), and for the four IS patients who underwent intra-arterial thrombectomy, the median cost per patient was US$35,092 (IQR: 31,833-37,626; p < 0.0001). A direct correlation was found between cost and length of stay (r = 0.67, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Stroke is a costly disease. In the private sector, the costs of cerebral reperfusion for IS treatment were three-to-ten times higher than for usual treatments. Therefore, cost-effectiveness studies are urgently needed in low- and middle-income countries.