Background and purpose: Few pediatric reports of thrombolysis exist. We sought to determine national rates of thrombolysis among pediatric ischemic stroke patients using a national database.
Methods: Patients between the ages of 1 and 17 years, entered in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample between 2000 and 2003, with International Classification of Diseases codes for ischemic stroke were included in the study. Differences in mean age, gender distribution, ethnicity, secondary diagnoses, medical complications, associated procedure rates, modes of discharge, and hospital costs between pediatric stroke patients receiving and not receiving thrombolysis were estimated.
Results: In the United States, between 2000 and 2003 an estimated 2904 children were admitted with ischemic stroke, of which 46 children (1.6%) received thrombolytic therapy. Children who received thrombolysis were on the average older (11 versus 9 years), more likely to be male (100% versus 53.8%), with significantly higher hospital costs ($81,800 versus $38,700). These children were also less likely to be discharged home with higher rates of death and dependency, although differences in clinical severity between the 2 groups was not known.
Conclusions: Thrombolysis, though not indicated for patients <18 years of age, is currently being administered to children, with unclear benefit. Larger studies are needed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this treatment for children.