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Associations Between Long-Term Air Pollutant Exposure and 30-Day All-Cause Hospital Readmissions in US Patients With Stroke.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Tran, PM; Warren, JL; Leifheit, EC; Goldstein, LB; Lichtman, JH
Published in: Stroke
April 2023

BACKGROUND: Long-term exposure to air pollutants is associated with increased stroke incidence, morbidity, and mortality; however, research on the association of pollutant exposure with poststroke hospital readmissions is lacking. METHODS: We assessed associations between average annual carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), particulate matter 2.5, and sulfur dioxide (SO2) exposure and 30-day all-cause hospital readmission in US fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries age ≥65 years hospitalized for ischemic stroke in 2014 to 2015. We fit Cox models to assess 30-day readmissions as a function of these pollutants, adjusted for patient and hospital characteristics and ambient temperature. Analyses were then stratified by treating hospital performance on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services risk-standardized 30-day poststroke all-cause readmission measure to determine if the results were independent of performance: low (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services rate for hospital <25th percentile of national rate), high (>75th percentile), and intermediate (all others). RESULTS: Of 448 148 patients with stroke, 12.5% were readmitted within 30 days. Except for tropospheric NO2 (no national standard), average 2-year CO, O3, particulate matter 2.5, and SO2 values were below national limits. Each one SD increase in average annual CO, NO2, particulate matter 2.5, and SO2 exposure was associated with an adjusted 1.1% (95% CI, 0.4-1.9%), 3.6% (95% CI, 2.9%-4.4%), 1.2% (95% CI, 0.2%-2.3%), and 2.0% (95% CI, 1.1%-3.0%) increased risk of 30-day readmission, respectively, and O3 with a 0.7% (95% CI, 0.0%-1.5%) decrease. Associations between long-term air pollutant exposure and increased readmissions persisted across hospital performance categories. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term air pollutant exposure below national limits was associated with increased 30-day readmissions after stroke, regardless of hospital performance category. Whether air quality improvements lead to reductions in poststroke readmissions requires further research.

Duke Scholars

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Published In

Stroke

DOI

EISSN

1524-4628

Publication Date

April 2023

Volume

54

Issue

4

Start / End Page

e126 / e129

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • United States
  • Stroke
  • Patient Readmission
  • Particulate Matter
  • Nitrogen Dioxide
  • Neurology & Neurosurgery
  • Medicare
  • Humans
  • Environmental Exposure
  • Air Pollution
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Tran, P. M., Warren, J. L., Leifheit, E. C., Goldstein, L. B., & Lichtman, J. H. (2023). Associations Between Long-Term Air Pollutant Exposure and 30-Day All-Cause Hospital Readmissions in US Patients With Stroke. Stroke, 54(4), e126–e129. https://doi.org/10.1161/STROKEAHA.122.042265
Tran, Phoebe M., Joshua L. Warren, Erica C. Leifheit, Larry B. Goldstein, and Judith H. Lichtman. “Associations Between Long-Term Air Pollutant Exposure and 30-Day All-Cause Hospital Readmissions in US Patients With Stroke.Stroke 54, no. 4 (April 2023): e126–29. https://doi.org/10.1161/STROKEAHA.122.042265.
Tran PM, Warren JL, Leifheit EC, Goldstein LB, Lichtman JH. Associations Between Long-Term Air Pollutant Exposure and 30-Day All-Cause Hospital Readmissions in US Patients With Stroke. Stroke. 2023 Apr;54(4):e126–9.
Tran, Phoebe M., et al. “Associations Between Long-Term Air Pollutant Exposure and 30-Day All-Cause Hospital Readmissions in US Patients With Stroke.Stroke, vol. 54, no. 4, Apr. 2023, pp. e126–29. Pubmed, doi:10.1161/STROKEAHA.122.042265.
Tran PM, Warren JL, Leifheit EC, Goldstein LB, Lichtman JH. Associations Between Long-Term Air Pollutant Exposure and 30-Day All-Cause Hospital Readmissions in US Patients With Stroke. Stroke. 2023 Apr;54(4):e126–e129.

Published In

Stroke

DOI

EISSN

1524-4628

Publication Date

April 2023

Volume

54

Issue

4

Start / End Page

e126 / e129

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • United States
  • Stroke
  • Patient Readmission
  • Particulate Matter
  • Nitrogen Dioxide
  • Neurology & Neurosurgery
  • Medicare
  • Humans
  • Environmental Exposure
  • Air Pollution