Cases Of Acute Stroke Research Articles

Vertebral Artery Dissection Following Anterior Cervical Decompression and Artificial Disc Replacement

Vertebral artery dissection (VAD) is a rare vascular cause of acute stroke. Although VAD may be classified as spontaneous or traumatic, it is increasingly recognized that trivial mechanical stress typically precipitates this potentially dangerous condition. Herein, we report a rare case of VAD and acute stroke following anterior cervical decompression and artificial disc replacement (ADR). To our knowledge, there have been no other cases of acute vertebrobasilar stroke caused by VAD following anterior cervical decompression and ADR. This case highlights that, although rare, acute vertebrobasilar stroke may occur after the anterior cervical approach.

Abstract WP14: A Patient-level Data Euclidean-matched Analysis Of Reperfusion Therapies In Acute Ischemic Stroke From The Latin American Stroke Registry (lase)

Introduction: As acute stroke therapies expand to less well-resourced regions, it is imperative to study real-world data to assess outcomes and the quality of stroke care. The present study analyzes clinical, and imaging outcomes after acute IV thrombolysis (IV-tPA) compared to mechanical thrombectomy (MT) or combined therapy in the LASE. Methods: A retrospective analysis of consecutive acute ischemic stroke cases in 17 centers from 9 Latin American (LA) countries since 2012 was performed using weighted Euclidean matching of nearest neighbors in 3-D space of baseline NIHSS, age, and glucose. Results: 950 patients receiving only IV-tPA were matched to 127 treated with MT+IV-tPA. Matching resulted in 97 pairs well balanced for age (69.1 vs. 69.3), baseline NIHSS (17 vs. 17), and glucose (124.3 vs. 124.5), all p>0.2. 3-month mRS 0-1 (38.3% vs 29.8%, p=0.23) and mRS 0-2 (46.8% vs 41.5%, p=0.54) were non-significantly higher in the MT+IV-tPA group, with higher hemorrhage (26.6% vs 15.5%, p=0.05) and trends for higher death (15.1% vs 9.5%, p=0.40) and symptomatic hemorrhage (7.4% vs 6.2%, p=1.0). One hundred one patients receiving only MT were matched to 127 patients with MT+IV-tPA, resulting in 61 pairs; MT+IV-tPA showed trends for higher rates of 3-month mRS 0-1 (45.0% vs 35.6%, p=0.31), mRS 0-2 (48.3% vs 42.4%, p=0.54); with trends for lower rates of death (16.9% vs 20.0%, p=1.0) and symptomatic hemorrhage (8.3% vs 11.1%, p=0.75). Conclusions: In this real-world LA sample, trends for better functional outcomes were demonstrated with MT+IV-tPA compared to either treatment alone, as in non-LA populations. A trend for higher adverse events in the combined group requires further investigation.

Abstract TP146: Remote Teleproctoring Enabling Vascular Interventionists In Primary Stroke Centres To Perform Mechanical Thrombectomy With Comparable Results To Comprehensive Stroke Centres

Background: Increasing efficacy of endovascular thrombectomy for ischemic stroke entails a rising demand for intervention outside Comprehensive Stroke Centers (CSC), in regions where time to treatment and transfer delays result in worse outcomes. We explore the use of a remote teleproctoring system to support vascular interventionists in a remote Local Stroke Center (LSC) to safely perform mechanical thrombectomy (MT) in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods: Since November 2020, a Tegus Medical Teleproctoring System was installed in a LSC (Arnau de Vilanova Hospital, Lleida) where the potential MT population could be 80-100 procedures/year, however only half that figure is currently being treated, with most patients transferred to the CSC (Vall d’Hebron Hospital, Barcelona) 160 kms away. Since the implementation of this technology, thrombectomy procedures have been performed by vascular interventionists with moderate neurovascular experience at the LSC, remotely assisted by expert neurointerventionists from the CSC. We retrospectively analyzed the safety and effectiveness of MT with the aid of this proctoring System, comparing with procedures performed in the CSC. Results: Ten MT were performed in the LSC, comprising 50% of the acute stroke cases taken to the angiosuite in one year. The thrombectomy technique was combined distal aspiration with stent-retriever in all cases. Seven thrombectomies resulted successful after the first pass (70%), achieving complete/near complete recanalization (TICI 2c/3) in 80% of the cases. Comparing with CSC, median puncture to recanalization time was 31 (26-62) vs 42 (27-67) and the rate of final succesful reperfusion (90% in LSC vs 86.5% in CSC) was similar. No technical or procedural complications were reported. At 90 days, 40% of the patients had a mRS 0-2. A survey exploring the personal experience showed that communication was considered optimal and confidence in decision making was considered high at both ends of the system. Conclusion: Tegus system seems a valuable tool to support vascular interventionists facing a rise in thrombectomy demands in distant LSCs maintaining enough safety, effectiveness and confidence during the procedures. These data should be challenged by prospective studies.

Abstract WP57: Large-scale Reliability/Validity Assessments And Quantification Of Cognition Within The Imperial College Comprehensive Assessment For Cerebrovascular Disease (IC3): A Novel In-depth, Self-administered, Online Cognitive Tool

Background: Cognitive difficulties occur in up to 86% of acute stroke cases and persist in a third. There is a growing need for a scalable, cost-effective and in-depth assessment of cognitive function in patients, that enables longitudinal tracking of recovery and better understanding of predictors of long-term cognitive outcomes. This study aims to address this gap by presenting reliability and validity data on a novel self-administered online assessment tool that assesses cognition after stroke. Method: This self-administered web-based tool offers an in-depth cognitive profiling through 22 tasks spanning both domain-general (e.g. attention) and domain-specific deficits (e.g. memory, language, visual neglect), together with neuropsychiatric questionnaires. In light of these specifications, the battery has been named IC3 (Imperial College Comprehensive assessment for Cerebrovascular disease; https://ic3study.co.uk/ ) Results: We present results outlining the normative ranges for the assessment in 1000+ gender, age and education matched controls and in a modest sample of patients following stroke. Furthermore, we present results showcasing the reliability and validity of the assessment through specificity, sensitivity and test-retest analyses. Finally, we present a novel statistical approach that allows one to tease out motor-driven deficits during response selection, from true cognitive deficits, allowing for a more precise phenotyping of cognition in stroke. Conclusion: IC3 is the first assessment to offer in-depth unsupervised cognitive phenotyping of patients following stroke, while also allowing scalable and cost-efficient longitudinal monitoring. It fares well against various reliability/validation metrics and is able to capture cognition in a more precise and scalable manner than currently available assessments, making it an attractive tool for understanding the mechanisms of recovery in a plethora of vascular disorders.

Derivation and Validation of an Algorithm to Detect Stroke Using Arm Accelerometry Data.

Background Early diagnosis is essential for effective stroke therapy. Strokes in hospitalized patients are associated with worse outcomes compared with strokes in the community. We derived and validated an algorithm to identify strokes by monitoring upper limb movements in hospitalized patients. Methods and Results A prospective case-control study in hospitalized patients evaluated bilateral arm accelerometry from patients with acute stroke with lateralized weakness and controls without stroke. We derived a stroke classifier algorithm from 123 controls and 77 acute stroke cases and then validated the performance in a separate cohort of 167 controls and 33 acute strokes, measuring false alarm rates in nonstroke controls and time to detection in stroke cases. Faster detection time was associated with more false alarms. With a median false alarm rate among nonstroke controls of 3.6 (interquartile range [IQR], 2.1-5.0) alarms per patient per day, the median time to detection was 15.0 (IQR, 8.0-73.5) minutes. A median false alarm rate of 1.1 (IQR. 0-2.2) per patient per day was associated with a median time to stroke detection of 29.0 (IQR, 11.0-58.0) minutes. There were no differences in algorithm performance for subgroups dichotomized by age, sex, race, handedness, nondominant hemisphere involvement, intensive care unit versus ward, or daytime versus nighttime. Conclusions Arm movement data can be used to detect asymmetry indicative of stroke in hospitalized patients with a low false alarm rate. Additional studies are needed to demonstrate clinical usefulness.

Neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and systemic immune inflammatory index (SII) for the differential diagnosis of CT-negative mild acute ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack

Background: A number of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) cases may be misdiagnosed as transient ischemic attack (TIA), due to no infarct on initial computed tomography scan and/or mild deficits upon presentation. Several studies have found that the neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is an accurate differential diagnostic biomarker for AIS versus TIA; however, no study has evaluated the use of the NLR in differentiating CT negative AIS from TIA. Furthermore, the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) is a relatively novel immune biomarker that has been shown to be positively correlated with AIS severity, poor functional outcomes and mortality. The purpose of this study is to determine if NLR or SII can be used as a diagnostic biomarker for the differential diagnosis of mild AIS with a negative CT upon admission and TIA. Methods: We performed a retrospective medical record review of patients diagnosed with either AIS or TIA. We collected peripheral white blood cell counts within 24 h of symptom onset and calculated the NLR and SII. Logistic regression was utilized to determine if NLR or SII are significant predictors of CT negative mild AIS. Results: CT negative mild AIS patients were 2 times as likely to have an NLR ≥ 2.71 compared to TIA patients, and CT negative mild AIS patients were 2.1 times as likely to have an SII ≥ 595 compared to TIA patients. Conclusion: NLR and SII are easily obtained biomarkers that can be used in early clinical decision making in cases of mild AIS with negative CT scan upon admission.

Nationally Certified Stroke Centers Outperform Self-Attested Stroke Centers in the Florida Stroke Registry.

The Florida Stroke Act, signed into law in 2004, set criteria for Comprehensive Stroke Centers (CSC). For a set time period, Florida hospitals were permitted to either receive national certification (NC) or could self-attest (SA) as fulfilling CSC criteria. The aim of this project was to evaluate the quality of ischemic stroke care in NC versus SA stroke centers in Florida, using well-known, guideline-driven ischemic stroke outcome metrics. A total of 37 CSCs (74% of Florida CSCs) in the Florida Stroke Registry from January 2013 through December 2018 were analyzed, including 19 SA CSCs and 18 NC (13 CSCs and 5 Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center). Hospital- and patient-level characteristics and stroke metrics were evaluated, adjusting for demographics, medical comorbidities, and stroke severity. A total of 78 424 acute ischemic stroke cases, 36 089 from SA CSCs and 42 335 from NC CSC/Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Centers were analyzed. NC centers had older patients (73 [61-83] versus 71 [60-81]; P<0.001) with more severe strokes (median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score of 5 versus 4; P<0.001). NC had higher intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator utilization (15% versus 13%; P<0.001), endovascular treatment (10% versus 7%; P<0.001) and faster median door-to-computed tomography (23 minutes [11-73] versus 31 [12-78]; P<0.001), door-to-needle (37 minutes [26-50] versus 45 [34-58]; P<0.001) and door-to-puncture times (77 minutes [50-113] versus 93 [62-140]; P<0.001). In adjusted analysis, patients arriving to NC hospitals by 3 hours were more likely to get intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator in the 3- to 4.5-hour window (adjusted odds ratio, 1.87 [95% CI, 1.30-2.68]; P=0.001) and more likely to be treated with intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator within 45 minutes (adjusted odds ratio, 1.61 [95% CI, 1.04-2.50]; P=0.04) compared with SA CSCs. Among Florida-Stroke Registry CSCs, acute ischemic stroke performance and treatment measures at NC centers are superior to SA CSCs. These findings have implications for stroke systems of care in Florida and support legislation updates requiring NC and removal of SA claims.

Two-Stage Clinical Model for Screening the Suspected Cases of Acute Ischemic Stroke in Need of Imaging in Emergency Department; a Cross-sectional Study.

Just as failure to diagnose an acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in a timely manner affects the patient's outcome; an inaccurate and misplaced impression of the AIS diagnosis is not without its drawbacks. Here, we introduce a two-stage clinical tool to aid in the screening of AIS cases in need of imaging in the emergency department (ED). This was a multicenter cross-sectional study, in which suspected AIS patients who underwent a brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were included. The 18 variables from nine existing AIS screening tools were extracted and a two-stage screening tool was developed based on expert opinion (stage-one or rule in stage) and multivariate logistic regression analysis (stage-two or rule out stage). Then, the screening performance characteristics of the two-stage mode was evaluated. Data from 803 patients with suspected AIS were analyzed. Among them, 57.4 % were male, and their overall mean age was 66.9 ± 13.9 years. There were 561 (69.9%) cases with a final confirmed diagnosis of AIS. The total sensitivity and specificity of the two-stage screening model were 99.11% (95% CI: 98.33 to 99.89) and 35.95% (95% CI: 29.90 to 42.0), respectively. Also, the positive and negative predictive values of two-stage screening model were 78.20% (95% CI: 75.17 to 81.24) and 94.57% (95% CI: 89.93 to 81.24), respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of the two-stage screening model for AIS was 67.53% (95% CI: 64.48 to 70.58). Overall, using the two-stage screening model presented in this study, more than 11% of suspected AIS patients were not referred for MRI, and the error of this model is about 5%. Here, we proposed a 2-step model for approaching suspected AIS patients in ED for an attempt to safely exclude patients with the least probability of having an AIS as a diagnosis. However, further surveys are required to assess its accuracy and it may even need some modifications.

Management of a Case of Acute Ischaemic Stroke with Large Vessel Occlusion in an LVAD Patient; A UK Secondary Medical Center Experience

Introduction: Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are getting more popular in managing advanced heart failure patients. The implantation of LVADs is associated with neurological complications, including ischemic stroke or intracranial hemorrhage. There are no current guidelines on how to manage these neurological complications. In this report, we presented an LVAD patient with a large ischemic cerebral infarct and subarachnoid hemorrhage simultaneously and outlined our approach to managing these complications without affecting the LVAD function. Case presentation: A 34- year-old gentleman with an LVAD to bridge him to heart transplantation presented with acute left-sided body weakness of an undetermined time of onset. His CT head showed a large right middle cerebral artery infarct. He was not a thrombolysis candidate due to the undetermined onset of his stroke, the anticoagulation he was on for the LVAD, and the signs of infarct maturation in the CT head. We managed him in a multidisciplinary team approach holding the Aspirin and Warfarin he was taking and doing serial CT imaging of his brain to monitor the development of brain edema. The patient developed a small subarachnoid hemorrhage on day 2, that spontaneously resolved on day 5. We started him on unfractionated heparin on day 7 and Warfarin on day 10. We made an excellent recovery of his neurological function without impairment of the function on the LVAD. Conclusion: Simultaneous ischemic stroke and brain hemorrhage are a challenge in LVAD patients. A closely monitored stoppage of antithrombotics and serial brain imaging can guide the treatment. Regular assessment of LVAD function is mandated. Antithrombotics could be carefully reintroduced under surveillance brain scanning to maintain the LVAD function.

Role of Platelet to Lymphocyte Ratio, Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio and Lymphocyte to Monocyte Ratio in Acute Ischaemic Stroke Severity: A Prospective Cohort Study

Introduction: Stroke is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide, with ischaemic stroke being the most common . Inflammation plays a key role in the pathogenesis of ischaemic stroke and the tissue injury that occurs poststroke, leading to stroke severity. Aim: To assess whether the Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR), Lymphocyte to Monocyte Ratio (LMR), and Platelet to Lymphocyte Ratio (PLR) ratios correlate with the severity of ischaemic stroke in acute ischaemic stroke cases. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective cohort study conducted at KR Hospital, Mysore, Karnataka, India from July 2021 to June 2022, wherein 106 ischaemic stroke cases presenting within 24 hours of symptom onset were assessed, and the outcomes at discharge or at the end of one week were noted. Routine investigations and Non Contrast Computed Tomography (NCCT) brain scans were performed at the time of admission. National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scoring was conducted at admission, and patients were grouped into mild to moderate stroke (&lt;16) and severe stroke (≥16) categories. The values of PLR, NLR, and LMR were calculated from the blood routine performed at admission. The data was entered into Microsoft Excel and analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 25.0 software. A p-value of &lt;0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age in this study was 62.67±14.225 years, of which the majority 76 (71.7%) were males. Co-morbidities included hypertension 53 (50%), diabetes 26 (24%), previous history of stroke 13 (12.3%), chronic alcohol consumption 44 (41.5%), and smoking 47 (44.3%) within the study population, and no significant association was found with stroke severity. Approximately 17% presented with severe stroke, while 83% presented with mild to moderate stroke. The total count in the mild to moderate stroke (&lt;16) group was 10.5345±3.91 103 /mm3 and in the severe stroke group (≥16), it was 15.445±10.27 103 /mm3 . In the mild to moderate stroke group (&lt;16), the mean NLR, PLR, and LMR were 5.93±5.16, 179.79±120.72, and 6.14±6.98, respectively. In the severe stroke group (≥16), the mean NLR, PLR, and LMR were 13.83±24.62, 175.1±89.20, and 3.96±3.89, respectively. Conclusion: The PLR, NLR, and LMR ratios can be used to assess the severity of stroke cases, especially in resourcelimited settings.

Motor rehabilitation of aphasic stroke patient: the possibility of Rood's approach.

Motor rehabilitation of aphasic stroke patient: the possibility of Rood's approach.

Association Between Hemoglobin A1C and the Severity of Acute Ischemic Stroke in Sudanese Patients in Omdurman Military Hospital

Background: Hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) levels are known to be linked to a higher risk of stroke. However, no research data is available on the impact of HbA1C on the severity of acute ischemic stroke in Sudan. Methods: This study is a descriptive, cross-sectional hospital-based study of 40 cases of acute ischemic stroke. Ischemic stroke was confirmed using computed tomography (CT) scan at admission; all subjects’ blood HbA1C levels were also measured. Participants were divided into two subgroups based on HbA1C at admission, good glycemic control (GGC) (&lt;7 HbA1C) and poor glycemic control (PGC) (&gt;7 HbA1C), and neurological impairment was assessed using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). Results: The age distribution of the participants was 45-85 years, with an average age of 63.5±9.2 years with the highest frequency (67.5%) in the age group of 55-75 years. PGC had a statistically significant high HbA1C value of 8.9±1.3 (P=0.000), when compared to GGC subgroups 5.1±0. The association between stroke severity and HbA1C levels on admission in this study was statistically significant (P value=0.005), on admission (78.6%) PGC had moderate to severe stroke (&gt; 18.8 NIHSS) versus (33.3%) that of the GGC (&gt;10.4NIHSS). The frequency of elevated HbA1C levels in patients with acute ischemic stroke was 70% in this study. Conclusion: PGC was shown to be linked to the occurrence of stroke and to its severity.

A case of stroke secondary to iron deficiency anemia in a young female patient

In this article, we are reporting a case of acute stroke that occurred in a young patient with iron deficiency anaemia (IDA). There are only a few cases where the association between IDA and stroke has been established. The possible mechanisms behind the relation between IDA and stroke are anaemic hypoxia-induced to the brain, hypercoagulable state secondary to IDA and thrombocytosis secondary to IDA. In this patient, all causes of stroke were ruled out except Iron deficiency anaemia which came out to be the reason for the stroke. A decrease in the amount of haemoglobin in the blood results in decreased oxygen supply to the brain, causing hypoxia to the brain. This, in turn, leads to ischemic stroke. Therefore, diagnosing anaemia in patients and starting treatment as early as possible is important.

CORRELATION BETWEEN MODIFIED RANKIN SCORE AND TERITORY OF STROKE IN PATIENTS THROMBOLYSED AT A TERTIARY CARE CENTER

Prognosis of functional outcome after ischemic stroke is inuenced by a variety of factors already assessable in the acute phase and within the rst days after symptom onset. In clinical trials, stroke outcome is most commonly rated by the modied Rankin Scale (mRS)1 because of the validity and rapid application of this rating scale and its ability to discriminate clinically relevant levels of disability and recovery. A prospective observational study was done, in which 47 cases of acute ischemic stroke, thrombolysed after ruling out any bleed were included from March 2020 to October 2021. The demographics, risk factors, biochemical parameters and outcomes (mortality and complications) were assessed, until discharge or in-hospital death. Most common complication was Intra-cranial bleed that occurred in 7 (14.9%) patients following which was deterioration of power in 3 (6.4%) patients. Seizure and sepsis were reported in 2 (4.3%) patients each. Systemic hemorrhage was reported in 1 (2.1%) case. No patient reported thromboembolism. Favorable outcome according to Modied rankin scoring is 0-2 and out of 47 patients 29 patient showed favorable outcome in which 21 patients were anterior territory ischemic CVA while 8 were posterior territory. Total 3 patients out of 47 showed worst score of 6 i.e., death and 2 of them belonging to posterior territory.

Curriculum Innovations: High-Fidelity Simulation of Acute Neurology Enhances Rising Resident Confidence

Introduction &amp; Problem Statement The matriculation from internal medicine to neurology residency can be challenging. The most cogent approach to address this transition has yet to be identified. Studies show that simulation is highly effective at reinforcing knowledge and skills while improving learner confidence. We present the design and outcomes of an annual acute neurology simulation program. Objectives We hypothesized that incoming neurology residents would (1) report improved confidence with managing acute neurologic emergencies, (2) cite a high degree of educational value with the program, and (3) demonstrate improvement in their technical knowledge. Methods &amp; Curriculum Description Our military, level 1 trauma institution's simulation laboratory and staff were used to develop and execute simulations for rising neurology residents based on the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education neurology milestones. Three simulations were designed including a case of acute ischemic stroke (AIS), status epilepticus (SE) in an austere environment, and brain death evaluation with family counseling. Residents completed matched pre‐ and post assessments to gauge confidence, technical knowledge, and perceived educational value. Results &amp; Assessment Data Over 3 years, 15 rising neurology residents from 2 training programs completed 3 high-fidelity acute neurology cases. Self-reported confidence with acute neurology skills improved after each simulation. Confidence ratings included assessing for and identifying contraindications to tissue plasminogen activator, identifying AIS, identifying clot retrieval candidates, identifying clinical and electrographic SE, diagnosing and treating SE, identifying contraindications to and confounders of brain death diagnosis, performing the examination, and delivering bad news to families (all p &lt; 0.05). Technical knowledge also statistically improved in the stroke (p = 0.046) and brain death simulation (p = 0.039), but not the SE simulation (p = 0.296). Participants reported an average perceived personal value of 4.8, 4.3, and 4.7 (out of a maximum of 5) for AIS, SE, and brain death simulations, respectively. Discussion &amp; Lessons Learned High-fidelity simulation of neurologic emergencies enhances confidence and knowledge of rising neurology residents. Satisfaction with the simulation cases was high. Academic hospitals can consider incorporating acute neurology simulations into their residency training.

COVID-19 independently predicts poor outcomes in Acute Ischemic Stroke- Insights from a multicenter study from Pakistan and United Arab Emirates

BackgroundIschemic stroke associated with coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) has been well recognized by now. Few studies have compared COVID related versus unrelated strokes. We intend to report on a large group of Asian patients from two countries and compare COVID with non-COVID strokes admitted during the same time period. MethodsConsecutive cases of acute ischemic stroke either presenting or developing, between March 2020 and December 2021 in four tertiary care hospitals (1 in Dubai, UAE and 3 in Karachi, Pakistan) and testing positive for COVID-19 were included in the study. Patients admitted with ischemic stroke during the same time period and who tested negative for COVID-19 were also randomly selected from the four hospitals. All data was collected from the medical records of the patients and recorded on a standard questionnaire before it was entered in SPSS version 21 for analysis. ResultsThere were 139 COVID positive and 271 COVID negative patients with acute ischemic stroke included in the current study. There were significantly more males (80.6% vs 64.9%, p=0.001) and more large vessel strokes in the COVID positive group (41% vs 21.8%, p<0.001). Being COVID positive was an independent predictor of poor outcome at discharge, defined as a modified Rankin score of 3-6 (OR 3.87, 95% CI 2.21-6.77) after adjusting for country, age, sex, vascular comorbid conditions and stroke subtype. ConclusionsIn this largest series of patients with COVID related strokes from Asia, COVID-19 was an independent predictor of poor outcomes at discharge after adjusting for other variables.

Validation of Algorithms to Identify Acute Myocardial Infarction, Stroke, and Cardiovascular Death in German Health Insurance Data.

Validation of outcomes allows measurement of and correction for potential misclassification and targeted adjustment of algorithms for case definition. The purpose of our study was to validate algorithms for identifying cases of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), stroke, and cardiovascular (CV) death using patient profiles, ie, chronological tabular summaries of relevant available information on a patient, extracted from pseudonymized German claims data. Based on the German Pharmacoepidemiological Research Database (GePaRD), 250 cases were randomly selected (50% males) for each outcome between 2016 and 2017 based on the inclusion criteria age ≥50 years and continuous insurance ≥1 year and applying the following algorithms: hospitalization with a main diagnosis of AMI (ICD-10-GM codes I21.- and I22.-) or stroke (I63, I61, I64) or death with a hospitalization in the 60 days before with a main diagnosis of CV disease. Patient profiles were built including (i) age and sex, (ii) hospitalizations incl. diagnoses, procedures, discharge reasons, (iii) outpatient diagnoses incl. diagnostic certainty, physician specialty, (iv) outpatient encounters, and (v) outpatient dispensings. Using adjudication criteria based on clinical guidelines and risk factors, two trained physicians independently classified cases as "certain", "probable", "unlikely" or "not assessable". Positive predictive values (PPVs) were calculated as percentage of confirmed cases among all assessable cases. For AMI, the overall PPV was 97.6% [95% confidence interval 94.8-99.1]. The PPV for any stroke was 94.8% [91.3-97.2] and higher for ischemic (98.3% [95.0-99.6]) than for hemorrhagic stroke (86.5% [76.5-93.3]). The PPV for CV death was 79.9% [74.4-84.4]. It increased to 91.7% [87.2-95.0] after excluding 32 cases with data insufficient for a decision. Algorithms based on hospital diagnoses can identify AMI, stroke, and CV death from German claims data with high PPV. This was the first study to show that German claims data contain information suitable for outcome validation.

Understanding ASPECTS of stroke: Inter-rater reliability between emergency medicine physician and radiologist in a rural setup.

The purpose is to determine the inter-rater reliability in grading ASPECTS score, between emergency medicine physician at first contact and radiologist among patients with acute ischemic stroke. We conducted a prospective analysis of 765 acute ischemic stroke cases referred to the Department of Radiodiagnosis in a rural-based hospital in South India, during January 2017 to October 2021. Non-contrast computed tomography (NCCT) scans of the brain were performed using GE Bright Speed Elite 128 Slice CT Scanner. ASPECTS score was calculated separately by an emergency medicine physician and radiologist. Inter-rater reliability for total and dichotomized ASPECTS (≥6 and <6) scores were assessed using statistical analysis (ICC and Cohen ĸ coefficients) on SPSS software (v17.0). Inter-rater agreement for total and dichotomized ASPECTS was substantial (ICC 0.79 and Cohen ĸ 0.68) between the emergency physician and the radiologist. Mean difference in ASPECTS between the two readers was only 0.15 with standard deviation of 1.58. No proportionality bias was detected. The Bland-Altman plot was constructed to demonstrate the distribution of ASPECTS differences between the two readers. Substantial inter-rater agreement was noted in grading ASPECTS between emergency medicine physician at first contact and radiologist, thereby confirming its robustness even in a rural setting.

OUTCOME OF INTRAVENOUS THROMBOLYSIS WITH TENECTEPLASE IN ACUTE ISCHEMIC STROKE.

Tenecteplase is a modied tissue plasminogen activator and newer thrombolytic agent. It has a longer half life ,which is more brin specic, produces less systemic depletion of circulating brinogen, and is more resistant to plasminogen activator inhibitor. Because of its pharmacodynamic properties which results in rapid reperfusion and lower intracranial hemorrhages. Hence the objective is to study the efcacy of tenectaplase in acute ischemic stroke including, neurological and functional outcome at 3 months which is assessed by mRS scale and also to know the complications arising out of thrombolysis with tenectaplase. This is Methods- prospective observational study of 40 cases of acute ischemic stroke undergoing thrombolysis with tenecteplase within 4.5 hours of onset. Dose of 0.2 mg /kg of tenecteplase was used for thrombolysis and outcome was evaluated with improvement in NIHSS score at arrival , 24 hrs, 1 week and at discharge, 1 and 3 month and mRS scale at 1 and 3 months. In our study, 67.5% (27 out of 40) patients met the primary clinical efcacy outc Result- ome by achieving an improvement in NIHSS score of 4 or more points at 24 h and 67% (27out of 40 patients) met the secondary clinical efcacy outcome by having an mRS scale of 0 or 1 at 3 months. Adverse events were noted in 7 patients (17.5%) of which 4 developed ICH and 3 patients showed poor clinical outcome. ConclusionTenecteplase appears to be a safe and effective agent for acute ischemic stroke because of signicant improvement in NIHSS , low disability rates were observed in the present study

Acute Ischaemic Stroke in a COVID-19 Patient on Baricitinib - A Causal Effect or a Multifactorial Relationship?

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a multisystemic disorder caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has been associated with both venous and arterial thromboses. The hypercoagulable state of the disease poses a challenge to the patient’s management. We herein report a case of acute ischaemic stroke in a COVID-19 patient who had been treated with three days of Baricitinib, an immunotherapy that can potentially augment the thrombotic risks. The case highlights the dilemma faced when initiating immunotherapy in a COVID-19 patient and emphasises the importance of evaluating the patient’s thrombotic risks, balanced against the benefit of immunotherapy, to facilitate the selection of ideal candidates for the immunotherapy.