Stroke reperfusion treatment trends in New Zealand: 2019 & 2020

This study assessed stroke reperfusion treatments trends in 2019 and 2020 with comparison back to 2015. Additional analyses looked at differences by sex and ethnicity.

The National Stroke Register contains data on all stroke patients who received reperfusion therapies since 2015. Outcomes included treatment rates, delays, mortality and complications by year, sex, and ethnicity. Continuous variables were compared using the Wilcoxon Rank-Sum Test and presented as p-values. Rate-based results were compared using incidence rate comparison and presented as p-values +/- 95% confidence intervals.

In 2020, 11.3% (828/7333) received intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) and 5.5% (404/7333) underwent stroke clot retrieval (SCR), increasing from 6.5% (389/5963) and 0.5% (30/5963) in 2015, respectively. Among reperfused patients (IVT, SCR, both), 8.3% had died at seven days and 3.0% (29/959) experienced sICH. Door-to-treatment time was stable between 2019 and 2020, with median (IQR) of 61 (44-84) and 61 (41-87) minutes, respectively. Initial presentation to a SCR centre was associated with shorter onset-to-reperfusion time of 286 (206-566) minutes, compared with 403 (295-550) minutes (p<0.001). While onset-to-door time was shorter for Māori (72 (44-112) minutes, p<0.001) and Pacific patients (70 (48-105) minutes, p=0.03) compared with NZ Europeans, door-to-needle time was longer in Māori (66 (48-88) compared to 59 (41-83) minutes (p=0.001). Female (73.7+/15.3 years) patients were on average 4.4 years older than males (69.3+/-14.6 years) and less likely to receive thrombolysis (12.7% vs 14.9%, p=0.02).

Reperfusion therapy rates continue to rise, now driven by increasing rates of SCR. Longer door-to-needle time in Māori and lower reperfusion rates in women require further exploration and attention.