Background and Purpose- To assess the effect of inter-hospital transfer on
time to treatment and functional outcome after endovascular treatment (EVT) for
acute ischemic stroke, we compared patients transferred from a primary
stroke center to patients directly admitted to an intervention center in a large nationwide registry. Methods- MR CLEAN (Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial of Endovascular Treatment for
Acute Ischemic Stroke in the Netherlands) Registry is an ongoing, prospective, observational study in all centers that perform EVT in the Netherlands. We included adult patients with an acute anterior circulation
stroke who received EVT between March 2014 to June 2016. Primary outcome was time from arrival at the first hospital to arterial groin
puncture. Secondary outcomes included the 90-day modified Rankin Scale score and functional independence (modified Rankin Scale score of 0-2). Results- In total 821/1526 patients, (54%) were transferred from a primary
stroke center. Transferred patients less often had prestroke disability (227/800 [28%] versus 255/699 [36%]; P=0.02) and more often received intravenous thrombolytics (659/819 [81%] versus 511/704 [73%]; P<0.01). Time from first presentation to groin
puncture was longer for transferred patients (164 versus 104 minutes; P<0.01, adjusted delay 57 minutes [95% CI, 51-62]). Transferred patients had worse functional outcome (adjusted common OR, 0.75 [95% CI, 0.62-0.90]) and less often achieved functional independence (244/720 [34%] versus 289/681 [42%], absolute risk difference -8.5% [95% CI, -8.7 to -8.3]). Conclusions- Interhospital transfer of patients with
acute ischemic stroke is associated with delay of EVT and worse outcomes in routine clinical practice, even in a country where between-center distances are short. Direct
transportation of patients potentially eligible for EVT to an intervention center may improve functional outcome.