In Canada, immigration status is associated with length of ICU stay after stroke
Among people who have a stroke in Canada, immigrants were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) at similar rates to long-term residents or people who were born in Canada, but they were more likely to have longer stays in the ICU, according to a study published Sept. 2, 2026, in Neurology.
A recent study published in Neurology reveals that immigrants in Canada, compared to long-term residents or people born in Canada, are more likely to experience prolonged intensive care unit (ICU) stays following a stroke. The research, led by Manav V. Vyas, MBBS, Ph.D., of St. Michael's Hospital-Unity Health Toronto and the University of Toronto, analyzed data from 85,507 patients hospitalized with ischemic stroke in Ontario, Canada, between 2014 and 2023.
Immigrants, defined as those born outside Canada and arriving after 1985, were found to have a similar ICU admission rate to long-term residents but were 30% more likely to have longer ICU stays, averaging 5.6 days compared to 3.8 days for long-term residents. Despite receiving fewer reperfusion treatments to restore blood flow and slightly higher rates of life-sustaining treatments like ventilator support and feeding tubes, immigrants' longer ICU stays persisted even after accounting for factors such as age, stroke severity, and other health conditions.
The researchers suggest that language barriers and differing attitudes toward end-of-life care due to cultural and religious practices may contribute to the extended stays in the ICU. Improving access to interpreter services and cultural competency training for healthcare staff could potentially reduce these disparities in ICU length of stay.
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