Physician Transfer Versus Patient Transfer for Mechanical Thrombectomy in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

Abstract

Background Physician transfer is an alternate option to patient transfer for expedient performance of mechanical thrombectomy in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods and Results We conducted a systematic review to identify studies that evaluate the effect of physician transfer in patients with acute ischemic stroke who undergo mechanical thrombectomy. A search of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science was undertaken, and data were extracted. A statistical pooling with random‐effects meta‐analysis was performed to examine the odds of reduced time interval between stroke onset and recanalization, functional independence, death, and angiographic recanalization. A total of 12 studies (11 nonrandomized observational studies and 1 nonrandomized controlled trial) were included, with a total of 1894 patients. Physician transfer was associated with a significantly shorter time interval between stroke onset and recanalization with a pooled mean difference estimate of −62.08 (95% CI, −112.56 to −11.61]; P =0.016; 8 studies involving 1419 patients) with high between‐study heterogeneity in the estimates ( I 2 =90.6%). The odds for functional independence at 90 days were significantly higher (odds ratio, 1.29 [95% CI, 1.00–1.66]; P =0.046; 7 studies with 1222 patients) with physician transfer with low between‐study heterogeneity ( I 2 =0%). Physician transfer was not associated with higher odds of near‐complete or complete angiographic recanalization (odds ratio, 1.18 [95% CI, 0.89–1.57; P =0.25; I 2 =2.8%; 11 studies with 1856 subjects). Conclusions Physician transfer was associated with a significant reduction in the mean of time interval between symptom onset and recanalization and increased odds for functional independence at 90 days with physician transfer compared with patient transfer among patients who undergo mechanical thrombectomy.