Endovascular thrombectomy activity as a candidate marker of organised acute stroke-service capacity: a global burden of disease-based European panel study

Introduction

Acute stroke-care organisation might contribute to variation in ischaemic stroke outcomes across Europe. We assessed whether national endovascular thrombectomy activity was associated with Global Burden of Disease-derived ischaemic stroke burden across European and adjacent countries. Patients and methods: We conducted a repeated cross-sectional ecological analysis of a balanced three-wave panel of 39 countries (2016, 2019 and 2020) using a consistent thrombectomy data source. The primary outcome was the ischaemic stroke mortality-to-incidence ratio. We used a within-between model with wave fixed effects, adjusted for Socio-Demographic Index and population aged 65 years or older.