Educational Strategies for Secondary Stroke Prevention: An Integrative Literature Review

AbstractThe effect of conventional anti-platelet agents is limited in secondary stroke prevention, and their effects are blunted under high shear stress in the presence of increased levels of circulating von Willebrand factor (VWF). VWF is critically involved in thrombus formation at sites of stenotic extracranial/intracranial arteries. A third generation anti-VWF aptamer (BT200) has been generated which could be useful for secondary stroke prevention. To characterize the effects of BT200 in blood of patients with large artery atherosclerosis stroke (LAA). Blood samples were obtained from 33 patients with acute stroke or transient ischemic attack to measure inhibition of VWF activity and VWF-dependent platelet function. Patients who received clopidogrel or dual antiplatelet therapy did not differ in VWF dependent platelet function tests from aspirin treated patients. Of 18 patients receiving clopidogrel with or without aspirin, only 3 had a prolonged collagen adenosine diphosphate closure time, and none of the patients had ristocetin induced aggregation in the target range. BT200 concentration-dependently reduced median VWF activity from 178 to < 3%, ristocetin induced platelet aggregation from 40U to < 10U and prolonged collagen adenosine diphosphate closure times from 93 s to > 300 s. Baseline VWF activity correlated (r = 0.86, p < 0.001) with concentrations needed to reduce VWF activity to < 20% of normal, indicating that BT200 acts in a target concentration-dependent manner. Together with a long half-life supporting once weekly administration, the safety and tolerability observed in an ongoing phase I trial, and the existence of a reversal agent, BT200 is an interesting drug candidate.

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Abstract TMP68: Vulnerability to Health Disparities and Secondary Stroke Prevention: The REGARDS Study

Stroke ◽

10.1161/str.47.suppl_1.tmp68 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 47 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

James. D Rhodes ◽

Asikhame Oikeh ◽

Chris Gamboa ◽

Abimbola Fadairo ◽

Suzanne Judd ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Disparities ◽

Stroke Prevention ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Lipid Lowering ◽

Inverse Association ◽

Secondary Stroke Prevention ◽

Stroke Event ◽

Point Increase ◽

National Cohort ◽

Regards Study

There are few studies on the effect of multiple vulnerabilities to health disparities identified in the AHRQ 2012 report on secondary stroke prevention. We examined the effects of 5 vulnerability domains (race, age, region, health insurance and income) on the prescription of secondary stroke prevention medications at discharge following hospitalization for an acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in a large, national cohort of patients admitted to unselected hospitals. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of admissions for AIS between 2003-2012 within the REGARDS cohort. Discharge medications, insurance status, and age at time of stroke event were obtained from hospital records. Race, region and income < $20,000 were obtained from REGARDS baseline data. We constructed a vulnerability score (v score) range from 0-5, with 0 indicating no vulnerability. We examined the prevalence of each discharge medication by each vulnerability domain, score category, and by overall score using Poisson regression with a robust variance estimator. Results: 664 participants met the inclusion criteria. 132 (20%) of the study participants had ≥ 3 vulnerabilities (v score of 3-5). Participants with ≥ 3 vulnerabilities were more likely to be black (80.3%), > 75 years old (63.6%), and to report income < $20,000 (67.4%). The prevalence of receiving antithrombotic prescriptions at discharge was significantly lower in participants with ≥ 3 vulnerability domains (PR: 0.90 [95% CI: 0.82, 0.99]). The prevalence of receiving antithrombotic prescriptions was also inversely associated with a per point increase of the v score (PR: 0.96 [95% CI: 0.93, 0.99]), as were lipid- lowering prescriptions at discharge (PR: 0.95 [CI: 0.90, 0.99]). There was a non-statistically significant inverse association between ACEi/ARB prescriptions at discharge and having multiple vulnerabilities, including for 2 vulnerabilities (PR: 0.93 [CI: 0.80, 1.09]) and for ≥ 3 vulnerabilities (PR: 0.84 [CI: 0.69, 1.01]). Conclusion: The presence of multiple vulnerabilities was associated with lower adherence by healthcare providers to secondary stroke prevention recommendations for discharge prescriptions.

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Cilostazol for Secondary Stroke Prevention: History, Evidence, Limitations, and Possibilities

Stroke ◽

10.1161/strokeaha.121.035002 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Adam de Havenon ◽

Kevin N. Sheth ◽

Tracy E. Madsen ◽

Karen C. Johnston ◽

Tanya N. Turan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stroke Prevention ◽

Plasma Lipids ◽

Gastrointestinal Symptoms ◽

Cognitive Outcome ◽

European Medicines Agency ◽

Stroke Recurrence ◽

Drug Discontinuation ◽

Secondary Stroke Prevention ◽

Long Term Treatment ◽

Phosphodiesterase Iii Inhibitor

Cilostazol is a PDE3 (phosphodiesterase III) inhibitor with a long track record of safety that is Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency approved for the treatment of claudication in patients with peripheral arterial disease. In addition, cilostazol has been approved for secondary stroke prevention in several Asian countries based on trials that have demonstrated a reduction in stroke recurrence among patients with noncardioembolic stroke. The onset of benefit appears after 60 to 90 days of treatment, which is consistent with cilostazol’s pleiotropic effects on platelet aggregation, vascular remodeling, blood flow, and plasma lipids. Cilostazol appears safe and does not increase the risk of major bleeding when given alone or in combination with aspirin or clopidogrel. Adverse effects such as headache, gastrointestinal symptoms, and palpitations, however, contributed to a 6% increase in drug discontinuation among patients randomized to cilostazol in a large secondary stroke prevention trial (CSPS.com [Cilostazol Stroke Prevention Study for Antiplatelet Combination]). Due to limitations of prior trials, such as open-label design, premature trial termination, large loss to follow-up, lack of functional or cognitive outcome data, and exclusive enrollment in Asia, the existing trials have not led to a change in clinical practice or guidelines in Western countries. These limitations could be addressed by a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trial conducted in a broader population. If positive, it would increase the evidence in support of long-term treatment with cilostazol for secondary prevention in the millions of patients worldwide who have experienced a noncardioembolic ischemic stroke.

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Abstract P252: Discharge Antithrombotic Therapy for Ischemic Stroke Patients With Prior Aspirin Failure

Stroke ◽

10.1161/str.52.suppl_1.p252 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 52 (Suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Ying Xian ◽

Haolin Xu ◽

Deepak L Bhatt ◽

Gregg C Fonarow ◽

Eric E Smith ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Stroke Prevention ◽

Antithrombotic Therapy ◽

Recurrent Stroke ◽

Oral Anticoagulants ◽

The United States ◽

Future Research ◽

Large Artery ◽

Secondary Stroke Prevention ◽

Stroke Registry

Introduction: Aspirin is one of the most commonly used medications for cardiovascular disease and stroke prevention. Many older patients who present with a first or recurrent stroke are already on aspirin monotherapy, yet little evidence is available to guide antithrombotic strategies for these patients. Method: Using data from the American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Registry, we described discharge antithrombotic treatment pattern among Medicare beneficiaries without atrial fibrillation who were discharged alive for acute ischemic stroke from 1734 hospitals in the United States between October 2012 and December 2017. Results: Of 261,634 ischemic stroke survivors, 100,016 (38.2%) were on prior aspirin monotherapy (median age 78 years; 53% women; 79.4% initial stroke and 20.6% recurrent stroke). The most common discharge antithrombotics (Figure) were 81 mg aspirin monotherapy (20.9%), 325 mg aspirin monotherapy (18.2%), clopidogrel monotherapy (17.8%), and dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) of 81 mg aspirin and clopidogrel (17.1%). Combined, aspirin monotherapy, clopidogrel monotherapy, and DAPT accounted for 86.8% of discharge antithrombotics. The rest of 13.2% were discharged on either aspirin/dipyridamole, warfarin or non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants with or without antiplatelet, or no antithrombotics at all. Among patients with documented stroke etiology (TOAST criteria), 81 mg aspirin monotherapy (21.2-24.0%) was the most commonly prescribed antithrombotic for secondary stroke prevention. The only exception was those with large-artery atherosclerosis, in which, 25.3% received DAPT of 81 mg aspirin and clopidogrel at discharge. Conclusion: Substantial variations exist in discharge antithrombotic therapy for secondary stroke prevention in ischemic stroke with prior aspirin failure. Future research is needed to identify best management strategies to care for this complex but common clinical scenario.

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