Real-World Impact of Retrievable Stents for Acute Ischemic Stroke on Disability Utilizing the National Inpatient Sample

Purpose: We assess the impact of retrievable stent (RS) compared to first-generation devices on in-hospital mortality and disability in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Methods: Using the National Inpatient Sample, data were obtained for patients with a primary diagnosis of AIS who underwent mechanical thrombectomy (MT) and were admitted to US hospitals between 2010 and 2014. Two time periods were compared: 2010–2012 (pre-RS Food and Drug Administration [FDA] approval) and 2013–2014 (post-RS FDA approval). Disability level was used to classify outcomes as minimal disability, moderate to severe disability, or in-hospital mortality. Weighted, multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the association between MT device type and disability. Results: A total of 2,443,713 weighted patients admitted with AIS were identified; 148,923 (4.9%) of these received intravenous tissue plasminogen activator; and 23,719 (0.8%) underwent MT. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, the odds of in-hospital mortality decreased (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.59–0.82) in the post-RS time-period compared with pre-RS time. The odds of moderate-to-severe disability decreased (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.73–1.06) compared with minimal disability. In-hospital mortality rates decreased successively over the 4 years in the MT-treated patients (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The FDA approval of RS technology after 2012 was associated with decreased in-hospital mortality when compared with the 3-year interval prior. These findings provide an indication that the RCT data on the efficacy of RS technology are translating into improved real-world outcomes.