Mild cognitive impairment and receipt of procedures for acute ischemic stroke in older adults

Background and purpose Older patients with pre-existing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) receive less evidence-based care after acute myocardial infarction, however, whether they receive less care after acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is unknown. We compared receipt of guideline-concordant procedures after AIS between older adults with pre-existing MCI and normal cognition. Methods Prospective study of 591 adults ≥65 hospitalized for AIS between 2000 and 2014, and followed through 2015 using data from the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study, Medicare and American Hospital Association. We assessed pre-existing MCI (modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status score of 7–11) and normal cognition (score of 12–27). Primary outcome was a composite quality measure representing the number of 4 procedures (carotid imaging, cardiac monitoring, echocardiogram, and rehabilitation assessment) received within 30 days after AIS (ordinal scale with values of 0, 1, 2, 3–4). Results Among survivors of AIS, 26.9% had pre-existing MCI (62.9% were women, with a mean [SD] age of 82.4 [7.7] years), and 73.1% had normal cognition (51.4% were women, with a mean age of 78.4 [7.2] years). Patients with pre-existing MCI, compared to cognitively normal patients, had 39% lower cumulative odds of receiving the composite quality measure (unadjusted cumulative odds ratio, OR, 0.61 [95% CI, 0.43–0.87]; P=0.006). However, this association became non-significant after adjusting for patient and hospital factors (adjusted cumulative OR, 0.83 [95% CI, 0.56–1.24]; P=0.37). Lower cumulative odds of receiving the composite quality measure were associated with older patient age (adjusted cumulative OR per 1-year older age, 0.97 [95% CI, 0.95–0.99]; P=0.01) and Southern hospitals (adjusted cumulative OR for South vs North, 0.54 [95% CI, 0.31–0.94]; P=0.03). Conclusions Differences in receipt of guideline-concordant procedures after AIS exist between patients with pre-existing MCI and normal cognition. These differences were largely explained by patient and regional factors associated with receiving less AIS care.