What is the relationship between National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and 30-day mortality in Medicare beneficiaries with acute ischemic stroke?
Fonarow et al. (2012) investigated the relationship between National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score and 30-day mortality in Medicare beneficiaries with acute ischemic stroke. They found that higher NIHSS scores were associated with increased 30-day mortality, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.20 per point increase in NIHSS score (95% CI 1.17-1.23). This indicates that a higher NIHSS score is associated with a higher risk of mortality within 30 days of the stroke.