| Characteristic | Total n = 3984 | Timely neuroimaging n = 1087 (%) | Delayed neuroimaging n = 2897 (%) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patient | ||||
| Time from symptom onset to arrival at emergency department, h, mean ± SD | 1.49 ± 0.89 | 1.33 ± 0.75 | 1.55 ± 0.93 | < 0.001 |
| Time from symptom onset, h | ||||
| ≤ 0.5 | 280 | 64 (22.9) | 216 (77.1) | < 0.001 |
| > 0.5-1.0 | 1245 | 399 (32.0) | 846 (68.0) | |
| > 1.0-1.5 | 939 | 273 (29.1) | 666 (70.9) | |
| > 1.5-2.0 | 580 | 169 (29.1) | 411 (70.9) | |
| > 2.0-3.0 | 585 | 132 (22.6) | 453 (77.4) | |
| > 3.0-4.0 | 355 | 50 (14.1) | 305 (85.9) | |
| Age, yr | ||||
| 18-44 | 149 | 38 (25.5) | 111 (74.5) | 0.7 |
| 45-64 | 985 | 282 (28.6) | 703 (71.4) | |
| 65-79 | 1446 | 391 (27.0) | 1055 (73.0) | |
| ≥ 80 | 1404 | 376 (26.8) | 1028 (73.2) | |
| NIHSS score | ||||
| ≤ 4 | 2352 | 383 (16.3) | 1969 (83.7) | < 0.001 |
| > 4 | 1348 | 642 (47.6) | 706 (52.4) | |
| Missing data | 284 | 62 (21.8) | 222 (78.2) | |
| Sex | ||||
| Female | 1947 | 484 (24.9) | 1463 (75.1) | < 0.001 |
| Male | 2037 | 603 (29.6) | 1434 (70.4) | |
| Income quintile | ||||
| 1 (lowest) | 785 | 202 (25.7) | 583 (74.3) | 0.8 |
| 2 | 799 | 219 (27.4) | 580 (72.6) | |
| 3 | 778 | 216 (27.8) | 562 (72.2) | |
| 4 | 791 | 224 (28.3) | 567 (71.7) | |
| 5 (highest) | 831 | 226 (27.2) | 605 (72.8) | |
| Preferred language | ||||
| English | 3509 | 926 (26.4) | 2583 (73.6) | 0.002 |
| Other | 383 | 132 (34.5) | 251 (65.5) | |
| UTD | 92 | 29 (31.5) | 63 (68.5) | |
| Living independently before admission | ||||
| No | 1117 | 278 (24.9) | 839 (75.1) | 0.03 |
| Yes | 2867 | 809 (28.2) | 2058 (71.8) | |
| Medical history | ||||
| Stroke, TIA or ICH | ||||
| No | 2789 | 810 (29.0) | 1979 (71.0) | < 0.001 |
| Yes | 1195 | 277 (23.2) | 918 (76.8) | |
| Carotid revascularization | ||||
| No | 3935 | 1073 (27.3) | 2862 (72.7) | 0.8 |
| Yes | 49 | 14 (28.6) | 35 (71.4) | |
| Diabetes mellitus | ||||
| No | 3084 | 834 (27.0) | 2250 (73.0) | 0.5 |
| Yes | 900 | 253 (28.1) | 647 (71.9) | |
| Hypertension | ||||
| No | 1332 | 326 (24.5) | 1006 (75.5) | 0.005 |
| Yes | 2652 | 761 (28.7) | 1891 (71.3) | |
| Hyperlipidemia | ||||
| No | 2333 | 618 (26.5) | 1715 (73.5) | 0.2 |
| Yes | 1651 | 469 (28.4) | 1182 (71.6) | |
| Dementia | ||||
| No | 3660 | 999 (27.3) | 2661 (72.7) | 0.9 |
| Yes | 324 | 88 (27.2) | 236 (72.8) | |
| Other cardiovascular disease | ||||
| No | 2831 | 732 (25.9) | 2099 (74.1) | 0.002 |
| Yes | 1153 | 355 (30.8) | 798 (69.2) | |
| Presentation | ||||
| During business hours | ||||
| No | 2552 | 714 (28.0) | 1838 (72.0) | 0.2 |
| Yes | 1432 | 373 (26.0) | 1059 (74.0) | |
| Arrived to hospital from | ||||
| Home | 3539 | 972 (27.5) | 2567 (72.5) | 0.02 |
| Nursing, retirement home or complex continuing care | 327 | 95 (29.1) | 232 (70.9) | |
| Other | 14 | ≤ 5 (35.7) | 9 (64.3) | |
| Missing or UTD | 104 | 15 (14.4) | 89 (85.6) | |
| Hospital | ||||
| Type | ||||
| Regional stroke centre | 1798 | 523 (29.1) | 1275 (70.9) | < 0.001 |
| District stroke centre | 1404 | 521 (37.1) | 883 (62.9) | |
| Not a stroke centre | 782 | 43 (5.5) | 739 (94.5) | |
| Location | ||||
| Rural (population < 10 000) | 3785 | 1081 (28.6) | 2704 (71.4) | < 0.001 |
| Urban | 199 | 6 (3.0) | 193 (97.0) | |
| Annual stroke volume | ||||
| High (> 200) | 3341 | 1005 (30.1) | 2336 (69.9) | < 0.001 |
| Medium (101-200) | 375 | 65 (17.3) | 310 (82.7) | |
| Low (≤ 100) | 268 | 17 (6.3) | 251 (93.7) | |
Note: ICH = intracranial hemorrhage, IQR = interquartile range, NIHSS = National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, TIA = transient ischemic attack, UTD = unable to determine.