Decompressive hemicraniectomy after malignant middle cerebral artery infarction: does hospital of origin matter?

Decompressive hemicraniectomy (DHC) has been shown to reduce mortality in malignant middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarction. Our primary objective was to compare 1-year mortality between patients receiving DHC for malignant MCA infarction at our institution based on hospital of origin. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all patients treated for malignant MCA infarction with DHC at our institution over a 3-year period. One-year mortality rates and time to surgery were comparable regardless of whether the patient first attended the tertiary referral centre or a peripheral centre.