Abstract WP330: Protein–Energy Malnutrition Is Associated With Longer Hospitalization and Lower Routine Discharge After Endovascular Thrombectomy: National Inpatient Sample, 2015–2020

Introduction: Protein–energy malnutrition (PEM) may worsen outcomes after ischemic stroke. We evaluated whether PEM is associated with presentation severity and in-hospital outcomes among patients treated with endovascular thrombectomy (EVT). Methods: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of the National Inpatient Sample (2015–2020). Exposure was a diagnosis of PEM at admission. Outcomes were length of stay (LOS), routine discharge, and in-hospital intracranial hemorrhage (ICH). Among EVT hospitalizations, survey-weighted linear and logistic regressions adjusted for stroke severity (NIHSS), demographics, vascular comorbidities, and hospital characteristics. Results: Of 2,755,905 ischemic stroke hospitalizations, 4.0% had PEM. EVT use was more frequent among PEM vs non-PEM hospitalizations (6.3% vs 4.5%). Within EVT hospitalizations, mean NIHSS was higher with PEM (17.5 vs 15.2; p