Abstract P532: Does Atrial Fibrillation Impact Rate of Symptomatic Intracranial Hemorrhage in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients Treated With rt-PA and/or Endovascular Treatment?

Abstract

Background: Patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) due to atrial fibrillation (afib) may have increased complications from intravenous thrombolysis or endovascular treatment (ET) compared to other stroke subtypes. The purpose of this study was to compare the rates of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) in patients with and without a history of a fib treated with IV rt-PA and/or ET. Methods: Consecutive stroke code activations were retrospectively analyzed from January 2004-June 2020 at an academic comprehensive stroke center. Patients were included if they were treated with IV rt-PA and/or ET within 24 hours of stroke onset. Patients were stratified into the six groups:1-No hx of a fib with ET only, 2-Hx of a fib with ET only, 3-No hx of a fib with IV rt-PA plus ET, 4-Hx of a fib with IV rt-PA plus ET, 5-No hx of a fib with IV rt-PA only, 6-Hx of a fib with IV rt-PA only. Primary outcome was defined as any sICH within 72 hours of treatment using the NINDS definition. Baseline demographics were compared. Chi squared was used to assess differences in sICH rates and logistic regression to compare individual groups. Analyses were both unadjusted and adjusted for baseline NIHSS, age, sex, baseline blood pressure, pre-stroke mRS, smoking status, and baseline glucose. Results: We identified 720 AIS patients who received acute treatment (IV rt-PA: n=578; ET: n=100; IV rt-PA+ET:n=18). There was a significant difference in sex (p=0.005); Hispanic ethnicity (p=0.002); current smoking (p=<0.001); current alcohol use (p=0.03), CHF (p=0.01); and age (p<0.0001) between groups. Baseline NIHSS was significantly higher in Group 4 (23, SD 8, p=<0.001).In adjusted analysis, there was no significant difference in sICH in patients with a fib after receiving IVtPA (OR 1.53, CI 0.47-4.99, p=0.48), ET (OR 0.93 , CI 0-∞, p=1.00), or both (OR 0.25,CI 0.00-9.07, p=0.45) compared to those without afib. There was no significant difference in sICH in adjusted analyses in patients with and without a fib overall (OR 0.93, CI 0-∞, p=1.00). Conclusion: In this study, atrial fibrillation did not have a significant impact on rates of sICH in AIS patients treated with IV rt-PA, ET, or both. This study supports the safety of IV rt-PA, ET, and combination therapy in the atrial fibrillation population.