Differences in acute ischemic stroke treatment: A cross-sectional study from international Registry of Stroke Care Quality (RES-Q)

Abstract

Background: Stroke globally impacts mortality and disability. Compliance with international standards and evidence-based practices for acute stroke management would improve patient outcomes. Objectives: We aimed to present a descriptive analysis of the quality of acute stroke care across different countries using the Registry of Stroke Care Quality (RES-Q). Method: In a cross-sectional study, data from key quality indicators such as Emergency Medical Services (EMS) deployment rates, hospital arrival to imaging time (door-to-imaging: DIT), hospital arrival to thrombolysis time (door-to-needle: DNT), and Stroke Unit Care/Intensive Care Unit (SU/ICU) admission frequencies were examined. The analysis employed descriptive statistics and Spearman correlation tests. Results: Of 334,184 patients from 1130 hospitals in 70 countries, 218,832 patients (65.5%) from 47 countries were diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke after exclusions. The number of patients per country ranged from 226 to 62,080. International variability in care quality was observed: EMS (7–97%); SU/ICU (12–100%); and median DIT (7–41 min); and DNT (20–75 min). IVT rates varied markedly across countries, ranging from <1% to 52%. Higher patient volumes were positively correlated with SU/ICU admission and negatively with DIT and DNT (ρ = 0.10, –0.22, –0.42, respectively). Conclusion: This study demonstrates substantial international variation in the use of quality monitoring in clinical practice as well as in key indicators of acute ischemic stroke care, including intravenous thrombolysis rates and treatment timelines. The extent of variability highlights opportunities for benchmarking and targeted quality improvement efforts across diverse healthcare systems.