Potentially Missed Diagnosis of Ischemic Stroke in the Emergency Department in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Stroke Study.
Missed diagnoses of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in the ED may result in lost opportunities to treat AIS. Our objectives were to describe the rate and clinical characteristics of missed AIS in the ED, to determine clinical predictors of missed AIS, and to report tissue plasminogen (tPA) eligibility among those with missed strokes.



Among a population of 1.3 million in a five-county region of southwest Ohio and northern Kentucky, cases of AIS that presented to 16 EDs during 2010 were identified using ICD-9 codes followed by physician verification of cases. Missed ED diagnoses were physician-verified strokes that did not receive a diagnosis indicative of stroke in the ED. Bivariate analyses were used to compare clinical characteristics between patients with and without an ED diagnosis of AIS. Logistic regression was used to evaluate predictors of missed AIS diagnoses. Alternative diagnoses given to those with missed AIS were codified. Eligibility for tPA was reported between those with and without a missed stroke diagnosis.



Of 2,027 AIS cases, 14.0% (n = 283) were missed in the ED. Race, sex, and stroke subtypes were similar between those with missed AIS diagnoses and those identified in the ED. Hospital length of stay was longer in those with a missed diagnosis (5 days vs. 3 days, p < 0.0001). Younger age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.94, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.89 to 0.98) and decreased level of consciousness (LOC) (aOR = 3.58, 95% CI = 2.63 to 4.87) were associated with higher odds of missed AIS. Altered mental status was the most common diagnosis among those with missed AIS. Only 1.1% of those with a missed stroke diagnosis were eligible for tPA.



In a large population-based sample of AIS cases, one in seven cases were not diagnosed as AIS in the ED, but the impact on acute treatment rates is likely small. Missed diagnosis was more common among those with decreased LOC, suggesting the need for improved diagnostic approaches in these patients.
Division of Sex and Gender in Emergency Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, The Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI. Tracy_Madsen@brown.edu.
Tracy E
TE
Madsen
Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH.|Neuroscience Institute, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH.
Jane
J
Khoury
Department of Neurology and Emergency Medicine, UNC School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC.
Rhonda
R
Cadena
Neuroscience Institute, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH.|Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH.
Opeolu
O
Adeoye
Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH.
Kathleen A
KA
Alwell
Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH.
Charles J
CJ
Moomaw
Neuroscience Institute, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH.|Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH.
Erin
E
McDonough
Neuroscience Institute, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH.|Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH.
Matthew L
ML
Flaherty
Neuroscience Institute, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH.|Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH.
Simona
S
Ferioli
Neuroscience Institute, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH.|Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH.
Daniel
D
Woo
Neuroscience Institute, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH.|Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH.
Pooja
P
Khatri
Neuroscience Institute, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH.|Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH.
Joseph P
JP
Broderick
Neuroscience Institute, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH.|Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH.
Brett M
BM
Kissela
Neuroscience Institute, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH.|Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH.
Dawn
D
Kleindorfer
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D057210:Delayed Diagnosis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003951:Diagnostic Errors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007629:Kentucky / Q000453:epidemiology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D009820:Ohio / Q000453:epidemiology; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000627:therapeutic use
D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator