Demonstrating the Value of Routine Anesthesiologist Involvement in Acute Stroke Care: A Retrospective Chart Review

Introduction: The value of routine involvement of anesthesiologists during endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for acute ischemic stroke has not been clearly demonstrated. At some institutions, anesthesiologists are involved only as needed, while at other institutions, anesthesiologists are involved from the beginning for every EVT. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the workflow, intraprocedural variables and complications, and outcomes in acute ischemic stroke patients undergoing EVT at a comprehensive stroke center after implementation of routine involvement of an anesthesia team and compared this cohort with patients who received care from sedation-trained nurses working under the supervision of neurointerventionalists with the involvement of anesthesiologists on an as-needed basis. Results: Routine involvement of anesthesiologists was associated with improved workflow performance measures, including decreased median door-to-arterial puncture time (68 min; interquartile range (IQR), 15.5-94.5 min vs. 81 min; IQR, 53-104 min; P=0.001), in-room to arterial puncture time (11 min; IQR, 8-14 min vs. 15 min; IQR, 9-21 min; P<0.0001), and procedure time (51 min; IQR, 40-64 min vs. 60 min; IQR, 40-88.5 min; P=0.007). It was also associated with a nonsignificant trend towards lower rates of desaturation events (8.2% vs. 3.4%; P=0.082) and lower rates of conversion to general anesthesia (1.7% vs. 0%; P=0.160). Ninety-day modified Rankin scores were similar regardless of provider type. Conclusion: Implementation of routine involvement of an anesthesia team during EVT was not associated with improved outcomes but was associated with improved efficiency and greater adherence to guidelines-based physiological parameters, supporting the routine involvement of anesthesiologists during EVT.