Mortality of stroke patients treated with thrombolysis: analysis of nationwide inpatient sample.

The authors performed a retrospective cohort comparison using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample for 1999 through 2002 of acute ischemic stroke admissions. Mortality was compared based on the use of thrombolysis. Hospital mortality was significantly greater for the thrombolysis cohort (10.1% vs 5.8%) as was the rate of secondary intracranial hemorrhage (4.2% vs 0.4%). US community experience in the use of thrombolysis has higher rates of complications and mortality than in controlled clinical trials.