Stroke is a leading cause of high morbidity and mortality. The National Institute of Health Stroke ScaleNIHSS has been shown to be related with poor stroke outcomes. However, the NIHSS cutoff points are varied and never been studied in Thai patients. This study was a descriptive retrospective study and conducted in eight hospitals in the northeastern Thailand. The study period was between May 1^st, 2008 and April 30^th, 2012. The inclusion criteria were 1) adult patients diagnosed as acute ischemic stroke who received rt-PA treatment and 2) had pre-rt-PA and/or post-rt-PA NIHSS score. The NIHSS score at baseline and post-rt-PA treatment at hospital discharge were studied on the stroke outcomes. There were 685 patients who met the study criteria. The baseline NIHSS of 16-25 was associated with poor stroke outcomes with odds ratio of 2.17 (95% CI 1.42, 7.14). In conclusion, the NIHSS score of 16-25 associated with poor outcomes in Thai patients with acute ischemic stroke who received the rt-PA treatment.

Keywords: predictors; stroke; NIHSS