Abstract 502: Weekend Effect on Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Stroke of Bad Luck

Background and Purpose: Recently, there has been a significant emergence of literature suggesting patients who present with time-sensitive medical conditions such as myocardial infarction or pulmonary embolism on the weekend have higher mortality and poorer outcomes compared to those admitted on weekdays, otherwise known as the “ weekend effect.” The literature is sparse concerning the presence of the “ weekend effect” in patients admitted with a primary diagnosis of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Methods: Using discharge data for patients with a primary diagnosis of SAH from the 2009 Nationwide Inpatient Sample, we compared the mortality rates and timing of proper diagnostic procedures between weekend and weekday admissions. All analyses were adjusted for patient demographics and existing comorbidities. Results: 830,739 admissions of SAH were identified of which 26.5% were weekend admissions. After adjusting for patient demographics and comorbidities, the odds ratio for weekend admissions was 1.11 (95% CI; 1.03-1.19). We found significant fewer diagnostic/therapeutic procedures performed on first day of admission among weekend admitted patients. (OR 0.80, 95% CI, 0.74-0.87). Conclusion: Patients presenting with SAH on the weekend have a higher mortality rate when compared to those admitted on the weekdays, and have a longer time to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.