Incidence Of Cardioembolic Stroke Research Articles

Understanding Atrial Cardiopathy: an Under-Recognized Contributor to Cardioembolic Stroke.

Ischemic stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the world with cardioembolic stroke (CES) causing a disproportional amount of the morbidity and mortality associated with stroke. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the leading cause of CES, and as the population ages, the incidence of CES is anticipated to rise. The importance of proper diagnosis and treatment of patients with embolic-appearing stroke is significant due to the burden of disease and the severity of the illness. The past decade has seen an explosion of treatment options for patients with CES related to AF as well as better mechanisms by which to monitor and diagnose patients with AF. While optimal secondary prevention of stroke with anticoagulation in the setting of AF is known, what remains to be defined is the appropriate treatment of other types of strokes that appear embolic, but no source of the embolism is discovered. In this article, we will review what is known about the diagnosis and treatment of CES, discuss the emergence of novel therapeutics and emphasize what must be investigated in the future to move the field forward, such as the emerging concept of atrial cardiopathy.

Abnormally high risk of stroke in Brugada syndrome.

The present study sought to evaluate the incidence of cerebrovascular events in a large cohort of patients with Brugada syndrome (BrS) analysing possible predictors, clinical characteristics and prognosis of cardioembolic events secondary to atrial fibrillation. A total of 671 consecutive patients (age 42.1 ± 17.0 years; men 63%) with a diagnosis of BrS were retrospectively analysed over a mean follow-up period of 10.8 ± 5.5 years. The diagnosis of ischemic stroke was made according to the AHA/ASA guidelines using computed tomography (CT) and angio-CT in the emergency department. Among 671 patients with BrS, 79 (11.8%) had atrial fibrillation. The incidence of cardioembolic stroke in patients with BrS and atrial fibrillation was 13.9% (11 events). These patients had a low CHA2DS2Vasc score (82%, 0 and 1). Patients with transient ischemic attack/stroke were more frequently asymptomatic (91 vs. 25%; P < 0.0001) and older (59.4 ± 11.2 vs. 43.9 ± 16.7; P = 0.004) as compared with those without cerebrovascular events. The incidence of cardioembolic stroke in patients with BrS and atrial fibrillation was unexpectedly high. The cerebrovascular accidents were often the presenting clinical manifestation and were significantly associated with asymptomatic atrial fibrillation and older age. CHADS2 and CHA2DS2Vasc scores did not predict the unexpectedly high risk of thromboembolic events in this group of patients. The use of more invasive diagnostic tools might be useful in order to increase the rate of atrial fibrillation detection.

Incidence and functional outcome of atrial fibrillation and non-atrial fibrillation- related cardioembolic stroke in Joinville, Brazil: a population-based study.

Among ischemic strokes, cardioembolic (CE) stroke has the worst outcome. We measured the incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) and non-AF related CE strokes, previous anticoagulant use, and the 90-day functional outcome. Using multiple overlapping sources, we included all CE strokes that occurred in 2015 in Joinville, Brazil. Of the 374 ischemic strokes, 23% (84) were CE. The CE age-adjusted incidence, per 1,000 person-years, was 0.14 (0.11-0.17). Of the 26 patients with known prior AF, 73% (19) were not anticoagulated, 77% (20) had a CHA2DS2VASc score ≥ 3 and 81% (21) had a HAS-BLED score < 3. After three months, approximately one third of those 26 patients died or became disabled. The incidence of CE stroke in our sample was lower than in other population-based studies. The opportunity for anticoagulation was missed in one third of cases.

The Anticoagulation in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: Rivaroxaban and Warfarin

Aim. To study the effect of rivaroxaban compared with warfarin on the incidence of cardioembolic stroke and systemic thromboembolic complications (TEC), bleeding in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF). Material and methods. Patients (n=126) older than 18 years, appealed to the Cardiology Clinic with non-valvular AF were included into an open non-randomized study. The patients were divided into 2 groups based on their socio-economic status: 77 patients received rivaroxaban and 49 - warfarin. The incidence of acute coronary syndrome, ischemic stroke and other TEC, bleeding as well as (only for patients taking warfarin) international normalized ratio (INR) and time in the therapeutic INR range were evaluated. Results. The incidence of ischemic stroke was not significantly different between groups, at the same time the incidence of other TEC was significantly higher in the warfarin group (0 vs 8%, p=0.011). The incidence of minor bleedings was significantly prevailed in warfarin group (0 vs 20%; p=0.0004). The time in the target INR range in the warfarin group was only 43%. 93.5% of patients continued to receive rivaroxaban after 9 months, and warfarin – 67.4% of patients. Conclusion. The results of our own clinical studies of rivaroxaban in patients with non-valvular AF have demonstrated efficacy comparable to that of warfarin. Rivaroxaban was superior to warfarin in safety.

Cilostazol may prevent cardioembolic stroke in patients undergoing antiplatelet therapy

Objectives:Randomised trials have shown the efficacy of antiplatelet therapy with cilostazol to prevent secondary ischaemic stroke. Recently, cilostazol has been reported to prevent the development and/or recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF), which can potentially prevent cardioembolic stroke in patients undergoing antiplatelet therapy. Herein, we examined the impact of prior antiplatelet therapy with cilostazol on the incidence of cardioembolic stroke, which had not been fully investigated.Methods:Using the multicenter retrospective study of stroke risk in antithrombotic therapy (RESTATE) database, we analysed consecutive patients with primary or secondary stroke under single antiplatelet therapy. We evaluated the characteristics of ischaemic stroke based on the type of antiplatelet agent used: aspirin, ticlopidine/clopidogrel or cilostazol.Results:Of 1069 consecutive patients with primary or secondary stroke during antithrombotic therapy from January to December 2012, 615 patients received single antiplatelet therapy (293 and 322 cases of primary and secondary strokes, respectively). Interestingly, the percentage of cardioembolic infarction was significantly lower in patients taking cilostazol compared with other agents. Multivariate regression analysis found that age (OR: 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01–1.06, P = 0.0029), serum creatinine (OR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.03–1.34, P = 0.0198), aspirin (OR: 1.75, 95% CI: 1.00–3.22, P = 0.0486), cilostazol (OR: 0.19, 95% CI: 0.03–0.73, P = 0.0125), and smoking (OR: 1.86, 95% CI: 1.16–2.94, P = 0.0102) were independently associated with cardioembolic stroke.Conclusions:Cilostazol may prevent cardioembolic stroke in patients undergoing antiplatelet therapy. This could be a novel strategy for cardioembolic stroke prevention potentially by affecting cardiac remodelling, in contrast to secondary anticoagulant therapy.

287 Trends in incidence of stroke from atrial fibrillation, in Dijon, France (1985-2006). Impact of the primary prevention

Epidemiological studies are needed to evaluate the impact of the recent changes in clinical practice on the incidence of cardioembolic stroke with atrial fibrillation (CE/AF stroke). Overall ischemic strokes were prospectively ascertained in the population-based registry of Dijon, France (150,000 inhabitants), from 1985 to 2006. We evaluated trends in incidence rates, risk factors, prestroke therapy, and survival in CE/AF stroke. 3064 ischemic strokes including 572 (18.7%) CE/AF strokes were recorded. Over the 22 years, a decrease in the incidence of overall CE/AF stroke was noted ([IRR] 0.9858, 95% CI 0.9731-0.9986; p=0.03). We observed a higher prevalence of previous AF, previous myocardial infarction, and patients aged >70 years in CE/AF strokes (p<0.0001) whereas hypercholesterolemia was more prevalent in other ischemic strokes (p=0.003). A significant increase in the use of anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents was noted, and was particularly pronounced for CE/AF strokes with previous AF. For CE/AF strokes, survival rates were 72% at 1 month (95% CI 0.68-0.76), 52% at 1 year (95% CI 0.48-0.56), and 43% (95% CI 0.39-0.48) at 2 years, and remained lower than those of other ischemic strokes. The decrease in the incidence of CE/AF stroke may reflect the increase in the utilization of antithrombotic therapy in patients with AF, but the use of such therapies will have to increase further because of the expected ageing of the population in coming years.

Stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation: Is the transcatheter occlusion of left atrial appendage already an alternative to anticoagulation?

AbstractCardiac emboli in patients with atrial fibrillation are one of the major causes of ischemic stroke. Because the vast majority of these cardiac emboli descend from the left atrial appendage (LAA), the therapeutic strategy of percutaneous transcatheter occlusion of the LAA by means of a mechanical implant was a logical consequence. Three different devices have been developed and used in humans: PLAATO, WATCHMAN, and ACP. The PLAATO implant, a “soccer ball” shaped self-expanding nitinol cage has demonstrated stroke prevention capability in small, uncontrolled studies. The WATCHMAN implant, a “half rugby ball” shaped self-expanding nitinol cage, has demonstrated non inferiority compared to warfarin treatment in the randomized, controlled PROTECT AF trial. The ACP implant is also a self-expanding nitinol cage. However, its design is of fundamental difference compared to the other two implants. ACP consists of two parts connected by a short waist, which are an “ice-hockey puck” shaped body for the implant fixation in the appendage wall, and a flexible disc for sealing the appendage ostium. Due to the very flexible connecting waist between the two parts, ACP implant adapts itself to the LAA, which appears in significant individual structural variabilities. The currently unpublished initial experience with ACP in Europe is encouraging. Transcatheter occlusion of the LAA offers an appealing way to reduce the incidence of cardioembolic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation. However, the concerns about procedural safety and the need for long-term follow up should be addressed before this potentially important technology is deployed widely. The transcatheter occlusion of left atrial appendage, therefore, has the potential to become, but is not yet a real alternative to anticoagulation.

Epidemiology of ischemic stroke from atrial fibrillation in Dijon, France, from 1985 to 2006

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is strongly associated with age, and epidemiologic studies are needed to evaluate the impact of both aging of the population and the use of anticoagulant therapy in patients with AF on the incidence of cardioembolic stroke with AF (CE/AF stroke). We evaluated trends in incidence rates, risk factors, prestroke therapy, and survival in CE/AF stroke from a prospective population-based registry, from 1985 to 2006. A total of 3,064 ischemic strokes, including 572 (18.7%) CE/AF strokes, were recorded. Over the 22 years, a decrease in the incidence of overall CE/AF stroke was noted (incidence rate ratio 0.9858, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.9731-0.9986; p = 0.03). We observed a higher prevalence of previous AF, previous myocardial infarction, and patients aged >70 years in CE/AF stroke (p < 0.0001) whereas hypercholesterolemia was more prevalent in other ischemic strokes (p = 0.003). A significant increase in the use of anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents was noted, and was particularly pronounced for CE/AF stroke with previous AF. For CE/AF stroke, survival rates were 72% at 1 month (95% CI 0.68-0.76), 52% at 1 year (95% CI 0.48-0.56), and 43% at 2 years (95% CI 0.39-0.48), and remained lower than those of other ischemic stroke. The decrease in the incidence of cardioembolic/atrial fibrillation stroke in our study was probably due to a slight increase in the utilization of antithrombotic therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation, but the use of such therapies will have to increase further because of the expected aging of the population in coming years.