Chance Of Good Functional Outcome Research Articles

Timing and causes of death after endovascular thrombectomy in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

Endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) increases the chance of good functional outcome after ischemic stroke caused by a large vessel occlusion, but the risk of death in the first 90 days is still considerable. We assessed the causes, timing and risk factors of death after EVT to aid future studies aiming to reduce mortality. We used data from the MR CLEAN Registry, a prospective, multicenter, observational cohort study of patients treated with EVT in the Netherlands between March 2014, and November 2017. We assessed causes and timing of death and risk factors for death in the first 90 days after treatment. Causes and timing of death were determined by reviewing serious adverse event forms, discharge letters, or other written clinical information. Risk factors for death were determined with multivariable logistic regression. Of 3180 patients treated with EVT, 863 (27.1%) died in the first 90 days. The most common causes of death were pneumonia (215 patients, 26.2%), intracranial hemorrhage (142 patients, 17.3%), withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment because of the initial stroke (110 patients, 13.4%) and space-occupying edema (101 patients, 12.3%). In total, 448 patients (52% of all deaths) died in the first week, with intracranial hemorrhage as most frequent cause. The strongest risk factors for death were hyperglycemia and functional dependency before the stroke and severe neurological deficit at 24-48 h after treatment. When EVT fails to decrease the initial neurological deficit, strategies to prevent complications like pneumonia and intracranial hemorrhage after EVT could improve survival, as these are often the cause of death.

Abstract P703: Association of Anemia With Functional Outcomes in Patients With Mechanical Thrombectomy

Introduction: Anemia at presentation is associated with worse outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke. We aim to investigate the association of anemia upon presentation with functional outcomes in patients who undergo mechanical thrombectomy (MT). Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of patients who underwent MT for anterior circulation large vessel occlusion at a comprehensive stroke center from 7/2014 to 5/2020. Anemia was considered a dichotomous categorical variable with a cutoff point of hemoglobin <12.0 g/dL in women and <13.0 g/dL in men, as per the definition of the World Health Organization. A binary logistic regression analysis was performed, controlling for age, pre-treatment-NIHSS, ASPECTS ≥6, TICI score ≥2b, onset to recanalization time, and administration of intravenous-alteplase (IV-rtPA), with the presence of anemia as the predictor. The primary outcome was a good functional outcome at 3-months (mRS of ≤1). The secondary outcomes were 3-month mortality, sICH (ECASS-II criteria), and infarct volume on follow-up CT Head. Results: 177 patients met our inclusion criteria. The mean age was 64.34±15.16 years. 93 (52.54%) patients were men. 34 (19.21%) patients had 3-month mRS≤1. 11 (6.21%) patients developed sICH. Among men, there was a significant association of anemia with lesser chance of good functional outcome (5.89% vs.23.73%; OR, 6.1; 95% CI, 1.3-30.5; P 0.028), higher mortality (52.94% vs.30.51%; OR, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.1-7.8; P 0.038), and a larger infarct volume (106.12±109.78mls vs.73.02±74.36mls.; OR, 1.1; 95% CI, 1.1-1.1; P 0.032), but not with sICH (5.89% vs.5.26%; OR, 1.6; 95% CI, 0.2-12.2; P 0.681). Among women, there was no significant association of anemia with any outcome measures: mRS ≤1 (25% vs.31.25%; OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.27-2.59; P 0.754), mortality (25% vs.23.08%; OR, 1.26; 95% CI, 0.4-3.97; P 0.693), infarct volume (60.08±94.46mls vs.69.05±97.74mls.; OR, 1; 95% CI, 1-1.01; P 0.981), and sICH (9.37% vs.5.89%; OR, 1.52; 95% CI, 0.26-8.88; P 0.643). Conclusions: Our study demonstrates a gender difference in outcomes in patients with anemia at presentation who undergo MT. In our cohort, men had an association between anemia and mRS≤1, mortality, and a larger infarct volume, unlike women.

Cerebral collateral therapeutics in acute ischemic stroke: A randomized preclinical trial of four modulation strategies

Cerebral collaterals are dynamically recruited after arterial occlusion and highly affect tissue outcome in acute ischemic stroke. We investigated the efficacy and safety of four pathophysiologically distinct strategies for acute modulation of collateral flow (collateral therapeutics) in the rat stroke model of transient middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion. A composed randomization design was used to assign rats (n = 118) to receive phenylephrine (induced hypertension), polygeline (intravascular volume load), acetazolamide (cerebral arteriolar vasodilation), head down tilt (HDT) 15° (cerebral blood flow diversion), or no treatment, starting 30 min after MCA occlusion. Compared to untreated animals, treatment with collateral therapeutics was associated with lower infarct volumes (62% relative mean difference; 51.57 mm3 absolute mean difference; p < 0.001) and higher chance of good functional outcome (OR 4.58, p < 0.001). Collateral therapeutics acutely increased cerebral perfusion in the medial (+40.8%; p < 0.001) and lateral (+19.2%; p = 0.016) MCA territory compared to pretreatment during MCA occlusion. Safety indicators were treatment-related mortality and cardiorespiratory effects. The highest efficacy and safety profile was observed for HDT. Our findings suggest that acute modulation of cerebral collaterals is feasible and provides a tissue-saving effect in the hyperacute phase of ischemic stroke prior to recanalization therapy.

Time to recanalisation in patients with cerebral venous thrombosis under anticoagulation therapy

Background and purposeFew studies have investigated the rates of recanalisation after cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT). Our objective was to investigate the recanalisation rate and to identify predictors of recanalisation in...

Classification and natural history of clinically identifiable subtypes of cerebral infarction

We describe the incidence and natural history of four clinically identifiable subgroups of cerebral infarction in a community-based study of 675 patients with first-ever stroke. Of 543 patients with a cerebral infarct, 92 (17%) had large anterior circulation infarcts with both cortical and subcortical involvement (total anterior circulation infarcts, TACI); 185 (34%) had more restricted and predominantly cortical infarcts (partial anterior circulation infarcts, PACI); 129 (24%) had infarcts clearly associated with the vertebrobasilar arterial territory (posterior circulation infarcts, POCI); and 137 (25%) had infarcts confined to the territory of the deep perforating arteries (lacunar infarcts, LACI). There were striking differences in natural history between the groups. The TACI group had a negligible chance of good functional outcome and mortality was high. More than twice as many deaths were due to the complications of immobility than to direct neurological sequelae of the infarct. Patients in the PACI group were much more likely to have an early recurrent stroke than were patients in other groups. Those in the POCI group were at greater risk of a recurrent stroke later in the first year after the index event but had the best chance of a good functional outcome. Despite the small anatomical size of the infarcts in the LACI group, many patients remained substantially handicapped. The findings have important implications for the planning of stroke treatment trials and suggest that various therapies could be directed specifically at the subgroups.