Pediatric stroke in the U.S.: estimates from the kids' inpatient database

Stroke among infants and children is generally considered a rare event. However, few studies have used national data to characterized pediatric stroke in the U.S.

The objective of this paper was to profile pediatric stroke using national estimates.

Data from the Kids' Inpatient Database (KID) was examined to estimate total number, mean length of stay, mean costs and discharge disposition of pediatric stroke in the U.S. in 2000, 2003, and 2006.

Estimates indicated that more than 2000 children were discharged from U.S. hospitals with a diagnosis of stroke in each of the years 2000, 2003 and 2006. Among those, more than 1300 were ischemic strokes (IS), approximately 400 were subarachnoid hemorrhages (SAH), and more than 400 were intracerebral hemorrhages (ICH) in each of the three years. Estimates also indicated that the average length of stay (LOS) over the same time period was approximately 7 days for IS, more than 11 days for SAH and approximately 11 days for ICH. Approximately 6% of children with stroke died in 2000, 7% in 2003 and 5% in 2006. Regardless of year, most children were routinely discharged to home with average costs associated with their hospital stay substantially greater for SAH compared to ICH and IS.

Although pediatric stroke is not common, more than 2000 children and infants experienced strokes in 2000, 2003 and 2006 and at a substantial cost.