In Hospital Neurovascular Disease Management in Turkey: Rationale, hypothesis, methods, and descriptive characteristics (NöroTek: Turkey Neurology One-Day Study)

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Objective data on the profile of acute stroke patients receiving inpatient treatment in Turkey are limited. However, this is essential for optimizing the relevant system of healthcare delivery, including regional acute stroke management. The NoroTek study aimed to collect the characteristics of ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage and cardiopulmonary arrest patients from a perspective of basic in-hospital quality metrics. METHODS: NöroTek is a point prevalence study conducted on World Stroke Awareness Day on May 10, 2018 with the participation of 87 centers (16 Hospitals, 26 stroke units and 45 stroke centers) representing 30 health care regions in Turkey. A total of 1802 in-patients (Female: 50.4%; age: 61.4±18.4 years) were included. A form containing about hospital processes, including information on clinical, imaging, treatment and prognosis of the index acute neurovascular event (49 questions in 6 categories on the inclusion day; 52 questions in 7 categories at the time of discharge) was filled. RESULTS: There were a total of 1070 patients with neurovascular diseases (TIA 3.7%, ischemic stroke 48.4%, intracerebral hemorrhage 7%, cardiopulmonary arrest 0.4% and vegetative status 0.1%) and 732 (40.4%) with other neurological disease. Two-thirds of neurovascular disease patients had an established diagnosis of hypertension. Among ischemic stroke and TIA patients, diabetes was present in two-thirds, dyslipidemia in one-third, and recurrent events in one-third, all of which were more common than intracerebral hemorrhages. Diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis was 3.9% in ischemic stroke and 2.9% in intracerebral hemorrhage, while hospital infections were less frequent in ischemic stroke compared to intracerebral hemorrhages (pneumonia 30.8% vs 40.6%, urinary tract infection 10.9% vs. 13.9%). The mean length of hospital stay was longer in neurovascular diseases than in others (22 vs. 17, in days). In-hospital mortality was 10.3% in ischemic stroke and 15.5% in intracerebral hemorrhage, 60% of which was due to infection. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: NöroTek, the first point prevalence study in the stroke clinical literature, revealed the profile of the main quality metrics of stroke patients hospitalized in Turkey. The presented data will be key in determining the gaps in current acute stroke management, providing actionable targets to improve the care of stroke patients.