P.115 Saskatchewan experience with mechanical thrombectomy under general anaesthesia

Abstract

Background: While recent clinical trials have demonstrated immense efficacy of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) in the setting of acute stroke, there remains debate over the safety in performing this procedure under general anesthesia (GA). In the Saskatchewan Acute Stroke Pathway, all patients presenting with LVO have endovascular thrombectomy performed under GA. Methods: Data was retrospectively reviewed on 108 consecutive LVO in 2016-2017. All MT were done under GA. Anatomical location of LVO, pre-MT ASPECTS score, post-MT TICI scores and 90-day NIHSS and mRS were recorded. Results: Of 108 LVO, 103 went on to have MT. 44 were right anterior circulation, 50 were left anterior circulation and 9 were posterior circulation. Of 94 anterior circulation strokes, 47 (50.0%), 43 (45.7%) and 4 (4.3%) had good, moderate and poor collateral circulation respectively, and the average pre-MT ASPECTS was 8.6. The average pre-MT NIHSS was 14.7. 81/90 (90.0%) achieved thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (TICI) perfusion scale grade of 2b/3 after recanalization. Average documented 90-day NIHSS was 2.4 and mRS was 2.5. Overall mortality was 21/103 (20.4%). Conclusions: In the Saskatchewan acute stroke pathway, general anesthesia is a safe modality for MT. This adds to the body of evidence supporting GA as a viable option for sedation in MT.