Effect of weekend compared with weekday stroke admission on thrombolytic use, in-hospital mortality, discharge disposition, hospital charges, and length of stay in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample Database, 2002 to 2007.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE A stroke "weekend effect" on mortality has been demonstrated in other countries with a possible slight effect in the United States. We studied patients with stroke in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database for a weekend effect on thrombolytic use, in-hospital mortality, discharge disposition, hospital charges, and length of stay. METHODS The Nationwide Inpatient Sample 2002 to 2007 was searched for all emergency room admissions for International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision codes corresponding to ischemic stroke. Generalized estimated equations for generalized linear models were performed, adjusting for gender, age, race, season, median income level, payer, comorbidity score, hospital region, hospital location, teaching status, bed size, and hospital annual stroke case volume to compare weekend versus weekday stroke admission incidence of thrombolytic use, in-hospital mortality, discharge disposition, hospital charges, and length of stay. The same analysis was performed using the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision codes for ischemic stroke AND transient cerebral ischemia to check internal validity for coding irregularities that may occur in differentiating stroke from transient ischemic attack. RESULTS There were 599 087 emergency room admissions for ischemic stroke: 159 906 weekend admissions and 439 181 weekday admissions. Generalized estimated equation for generalized linear model analysis was performed and demonstrated weekend compared with weekday patients with stroke were slightly more likely to receive thrombolytics (OR=1.114; 95% CI=1.039 to 1.194; P=0.003); incur slightly higher total hospital charges (effect ratio=1.011; 95% CI=1.006 to 1.017; P<0.001); and have slightly longer lengths of stay (effect ratio=1.021; 95% CI=1.015 to 1.027; P<0.001). There was no difference in in-hospital mortality or discharge disposition. CONCLUSIONS There is a slight stroke weekend effect on thrombolytic use, total hospital charges, and length of stay, but no difference in in-hospital mortality or discharge disposition.