Abstract
Background: The benefits of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) are time dependent. Prior studies may have underestimated the magnitude of the time-benefit relation because time of onset (last known well ”LKW”) is imprecisely known, and analyses including late-arriving patients have under-representation of “fast-progressors.” Methods: Patient level data were pooled by the HERMES Investigators from all 7 RCTs of stent retriever thrombectomy devices (entirely or predominantly) versus medical therapy. Analysis was confined to early-treated patients (LKW-to-puncture≤4h). Exposures: last known well-to-door (LKWTD) time; door-to-puncture (DTP) time; door-to-reperfusion (DTR) time. Outcomes: stroke-related quality of life at 3m (utility-weighted modified Rankin Scale); years of healthy life lost [disability-adjusted life years (DALYs)]. Results: Among the 781 EVT-treated patients, 406 (52.0%) were treated within 4h of LKW, with LKW-to-Door time median 188 minutes (IQR 151-215) and DTP time 105 minutes (IQR 76-135). Among the 295/372 (79.3%) with substantial reperfusion, DTR time was median 145 minutes (IQR 111-186). Care process delays were more strongly associated with worse clinical outcomes in the DTP and DTR epochs than the LKW-To-Door epoch (Table 1A), e.g., for each 10 minute delay, healthy life-years lost were: DTP 1.8 months vs LKW-to-Door 0.0 months, p < 0.0001. Considering granular time increments, the amount of healthy life-years lost associated with each 1 second of delay was: DTP 2.2 hours, DTR 2.1 hours.(Table 1B) Conclusion: Post-arrival care delays are strongly associated with worse EVT patient outcomes in the early post-arrival time period. With every 1 second of delay in EVT delivery, patients lose 2.2 hours of healthy life-years. Continuous quality improvement to minimize delays in DTP and DTR for endovascular thrombectomy is warranted.
