Background: Patients aged ≥80 years are often underrepresented in stroke trials. Observational studies have shown that older patients have worse outcomes compared with younger patients, but outcomes in patients aged ≥80 years treated with intravenous (IV)-alteplase specifically through telestroke (TS) have not been studied. Aim: To compare clinical and safety outcomes in stroke patients aged ≥80 and 60-79 years treated with IV-alteplase via TS. Methods: The Medical University of South Carolina TS database was analyzed to identify IV-alteplase-treated patients aged 60-79 and ≥80 years between January 2015 and March 2018. Baseline demographics and TS-specific variables were compared. Clinical outcomes were assessed using the 90-day modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Safety outcomes were evaluated by comparing symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine odds ratio (OR) for good outcome (mRS 0-2) in the older age group at 90 days. Results: IV-alteplase was used in 151 patients in ≥80 years age group and 273 patients in 60-79 years age group. The older age group had more women and a higher National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale. The mean "ED-door-to-TS-consultant-login" time was shorter (21.6 min vs. 25.6 min; p = 0.048), but "TS-consultant-login-to-alteplase" time was longer (22.1 min vs. 19.3 min; p = 0.01) in the older age group. No difference was noted in eventual "door-to-needle" time. The older age group had fewer good outcomes (39.1% vs. 74%; p = 0.001) and more deaths (38% vs. 14%; p = 0.001) at 90 days. The sICH rates were similar in the two groups. The OR for good outcome in ≥80 years age group was 0.20 (95% CI: 0.12-0.34) after controlling for baseline variables. Conclusions: Stroke patients aged ≥80 years treated via TS have similar post-thrombolysis hemorrhage rates but worse clinical outcomes compared with patients aged 60-79 years.
Keywords: cardiology/cardiovascular disease; emergency medicine/teletrauma; telemedicine; teleneurology; telestroke.