INSTOR™

INterventional Stroke Therapy Outcomes Registry™

 Overview

INSTOR™ is the first prospective interventional/endovascular stroke therapy registry in the world. Emergency treatment of acute ischemic stroke is undergoing rapid change.  Combination mechanical/pharmaceutical therapies can now result in excellent clinical outcomes for stroke victims.  Arguably, emergency treatment of acute ischemic stroke is the most complex multidisciplinary crisis operation a hospital chooses to undertake.  The complexity of acute stroke care necessitates a well-organized system involving several medical specialties, numerous hospital services, complex neuroimaging, interdepartmental collaboration, and rapid transportation to several different areas in a medical institution.  The entire multistep process mandates high levels of coordination and necessitates excellent multidisciplinary management.  Optimal system performance requires an institutional commitment to continuous process improvement.  A robust mechanism for analysis of the various steps, individual components, and actual processes is indispensable for optimizing patient outcomes.

INSTOR™ was designed to be a complete evaluation tool for improving emergency stroke therapy in your hospital.  INSTOR™ can act as the ultimate repository for all data concerning emergency stroke care (both IV and endovascular) for your hospital, either for each individual patient or in the aggregate. INSTOR™ provides a means to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the interventions used for acute stroke treatment both for IV tPA as well as endovascular therapies.

INSTOR™ is a powerful tool intended to be used for ongoing quality assessment, process analysis, and thus leading to improved clinical outcomes in both primary and/or comprehensive stroke centers.  INSTOR™ is a robust, HIPAA-compliant, self-prompting, automated-reminder computerized system for evaluation and analysis of in-hospital system processes.  INSTOR™ can track not only individual clinical outcomes but also the entire process that resulted in these outcomes.  With use of INSTOR™ it is possible to find the strengths and weaknesses in the overall process and thus implement beneficial change.  INSTOR™ also acts as a benchmarking tool to allow your hospital to compare itself with anonymous aggregate data from other institutions in a HIPAA compliant manner.

INSTOR™ fulfills the Quality Assurance and training standards requirements mandated by numerous organizations including the American Stroke Association (1), the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery (2), The Society of Interventional Radiology (3), the Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology (2), the American Society of Neuroradiology (3) , the American Heart Association (1), and The American Academy of Neurology (2).

1)  Leifer DL, Bravata DM, Connors JJ, et al. Metrics for Measuring Quality of Care in Comprehensive Stroke Centers: Detailed Follow-Up to Brain Attack Coalition Comprehensive Stroke Center Recommendations: A Statement for Healthcare Professionals From the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. Stroke. 2011;42:849-877.
2) Meyers PM, Schumacher HC, Alexander MJ, et al. Performance and training standards for endovascular ischemic stroke treatment Writing Group for the American Academy of Neurology, AANS/CNS Cerebrovascular Section, Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery, and the Society of Vascular & Interventional Neurology. J NeuroInterv Surg 2009;1:10–12.
3) Connors JJ, Sacks DS, Black CM, et al. Training Guidelines for Intra-arterial Catheter-directed Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Statement from a Special Writing Group of the Society of Interventional Radiology. J Vasc Interv Radiol 2009; 20:1507–1522