Prognostic significance of atrial cardiopathy in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

Abstract

Whether atrial cardiopathy is associated with stroke prognosis remains unclear. We evaluated the association between atrial cardiopathy markers and outcomes in patients with ischemic stroke using a nationwide prospective registry. Based on the Third China National Stroke Registry, we evaluated different atrial cardiopathy markers including increased P-wave terminal force in V1 (PTFV1), advanced interatrial block (aIAB), prolonged P-wave duration, prolonged P-wave dispersion, paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia, premature atrial contractions, prolonged PR interval, and severe left atrial enlargement in ischemic stroke patients. The outcomes were death and ischemic stroke recurrence at 1 year. The association between atrial cardiopathy markers and outcomes was analyzed using Cox regression models. At 1-year follow-up, 486 (3.4%) patients had died and 1317 (9.3%) patients had experienced ischemic stroke recurrence. After adjustment for clinical risk factors including atrial fibrillation, PTFV1 > 5000 μV·ms (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.70, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.18-2.45, p = 0.004) and aIAB (adjusted HR 1.47, 95% CI: 1.14-1.91, p = 0.003) were significantly associated with mortality. PTFV1 > 5000 μV·ms was significantly associated with ischemic stroke recurrence (adjusted HR 1.54, 95% CI: 1.22-1.96, p = 0.0004). This association was observed although we excluded patients diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. Atrial cardiopathy markers, especially PTFV1 and aIAB, are significantly associated with a higher risk of poor prognosis in patients with ischemic stroke.