Active Cancer and Elevated D-Dimer Are Risk Factors for In-Hospital Ischemic Stroke

Background and Purpose: Little attention has been paid to the pathogenesis of in-hospital stroke, despite poor outcomes and a longer time from stroke onset to treatment. We studied the pathophysiology and biomarkers for detecting patients who progress to in-hospital ischemic stroke (IHS). Methods: Seventy-nine patients with IHS were sequentially recruited in the period 2011–2017. Their characteristics, care, and outcomes were compared with 933 patients who had an out-of-hospital ischemic stroke (OHS) using a prospectively collected database of the Tokushima University Stroke Registry. Results: Active cancer and coronary artery disease were more prevalent in patients with IHS than in those with OHS (53.2 and 27.8% vs. 2.0 and 10.9%, respectively; p < 0.001), the median onset-to-evaluation time was longer (300 vs. 240 min; p = 0.015), and the undetermined etiology was significantly higher (36.7 vs. 2.4%; p < 0.001). Although there was no significant difference in stroke severity at onset between the groups, patients with IHS had higher modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores (3–6) at discharge (67.1 vs. 50.3%; p = 0.004) and rates of death during hospitalization (16.5 vs. 2.9%; p < 0.001). D-dimer (5.8 vs. 0.8 µg/mL; p < 0.001) and fibrinogen (532 vs. 430 mg/dL; p = 0.014) plasma levels at the time of onset were significantly higher in patients with IHS after propensity score matching. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that active cancer (odds ratio [OR] 2.30; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.26–4.20), prestroke mRS scores 3–5 (OR 6.78; 95% CI 3.96–11.61), female sex (OR 1.57; 95% CI 1.19–2.08), and age ≥75 years (OR 2.36; 95% CI 1.80–3.08) were associated with poor outcomes. Conclusions: Patients with IHS had poorer outcomes than those with OHS because of a higher prevalence of active cancer and functional dependence before stroke onset. Elevated plasma levels of D-dimer and fibrinogen, especially with active cancer, can help identify patients who are at a higher risk of progression to IHS.

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Abstract 2783: Disparities in Ischemic Stroke Presentation and Outcomes Based on Human Development Index of a Nation: A Secondary Analysis of International Stroke Trial

Stroke ◽

10.1161/str.43.suppl_1.a2783 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 43 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Yogesh Moradiya ◽

Sneha Modi

Keyword(s):

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽

Human Development ◽

Human Development Index ◽

Functional Dependence ◽

National Development ◽

Stroke Severity ◽

Development Index ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Stroke Trial

Background and Purpose: Human Development Index (HDI), a comparative composite measure of health, education and standard of living of nations worldwide, is published annually by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Our aim was to study the disparities in presentation and outcomes of acute ischemic stroke based on HDIs of nations. Methods: We used the International Stroke Trial (IST) database which was recently made available for public use for novel secondary analyses by independent researchers. IST, one of the largest prospective randomized controlled trials of acute stroke, was conducted in 467 hospitals of 36 countries in years 1991-1996 and included 19435 patients to study the effect of early treatment with aspirin and heparin in acute ischemic stroke. The trial had 99% complete six month follow-up data. We used the internet tool available on UNDP website to find HDIs of participating nations for the year 1995. We calculated National Institute of Health Stroke Scale equivalent stroke severity scale from the clinical findings present on admission. We only included the cases with final diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke and with known HDI (n=17262) in our analysis. We used χ 2 and one-way ANOVA to compare demographic and clinical characteristics between HDI groups. Multivariate logistic regression was used to study numeric HDI value multiplied by 100 as an independent predictor of various outcomes in stroke. Results: There was a significant difference in all the studied stroke characteristics between different HDI groups ( Table 1 ). With each unit increment in HDI by 0.01, odds of in-hospital mortality, complete functional recovery at six months and all-cause mortality at six months decreased by 2.3%, 3.6% and 2.8% respectively and odds of in-hospital recurrent ischemic stroke and functional dependence at six months increased by 4.8% and 2.7% respectively. HDI value could not predict intracranial hemorrhage or major non-cerebral bleeding significantly ( Table 2 ). Conclusions: We identified significant disparities in ischemic stroke presentation and outcomes between countries with different levels of national development. The disparities may have important implications in international health policy making and planning of multinational clinical trials involving acute ischemic stroke.

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Revascularization and functional outcomes after mechanical thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke in elderly patients

Journal of Neurosurgery ◽

10.3171/2018.12.jns182399 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 132 (4) ◽

pp. 1182-1187 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Carrie E. Andrews ◽

Nikolaos Mouchtouris ◽

Evan M. Fitchett ◽

Fadi Al Saiegh ◽

Michael J. Lang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Elderly Patients ◽

Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽

Mechanical Thrombectomy ◽

Multivariate Logistic Regression Analysis ◽

Standard Of Care ◽

Stroke Severity ◽

Vessel Occlusion ◽

Younger Patients ◽

Success Of Treatment

OBJECTIVEMechanical thrombectomy (MT) is now the standard of care for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) secondary to large-vessel occlusion, but there remains a question of whether elderly patients benefit from this procedure to the same degree as the younger populations enrolled in the seminal trials on MT. The authors compared outcomes after MT of patients 80–89 and ≥ 90 years old with AIS to those of younger patients.METHODSThe authors retrospectively analyzed records of patients undergoing MT at their institution to examine stroke severity, comorbid conditions, medical management, recanalization results, and clinical outcomes. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to compare patients < 80 years, 80–89 years, and ≥ 90 years old.RESULTSAll groups had similar rates of comorbid disease and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) administration, and stroke severity did not differ significantly between groups. Elderly patients had equivalent recanalization outcomes, with similar rates of readmission, 30-day mortality, and hospital-associated complications. These patients were more likely to have poor clinical outcome on discharge, as defined by a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 3–6, but this difference was not significant when controlled for stroke severity, tPA administration, and recanalization results.CONCLUSIONSOctogenarians, nonagenarians, and centenarians with AIS have similar rates of mortality, hospital readmission, and hospital-associated complications as younger patients after MT. Elderly patients also have the capacity to achieve good functional outcome after MT, but this potential is moderated by stroke severity and success of treatment.

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Outcome after Stroke upon Awakening

Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences / Journal Canadien des Sciences Neurologiques ◽

10.1017/s0317167100004029 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 32 (2) ◽

pp. 232-236 ◽

Cited By ~ 48

Author(s):

Janel O. Nadeau ◽

Jiming Fang ◽

Moira K. Kapral ◽

Frank L. Silver ◽

Michael D. Hill

Keyword(s):

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Subarachnoid Hemorrhage ◽

Stroke Severity ◽

Linear Modeling ◽

Stroke Impact Scale ◽

Impact Scale ◽

Level Of Consciousness ◽

Using Data ◽

Poor Outcomes ◽

Ischemic Attack

ABSTRACT:Background:An estimated 20-25% of all strokes occur during sleep and these patients wake up with their deficits. This study evaluated outcomes among patients who woke up with stroke compared to those who were awake at stroke onset.Methods:Using data from the Registry of the Canadian Stroke Network Phases 1 and 2, we compared demographics, clinical data and six-month outcomes between patients with stroke-on-awakening versus stroke-while-awake. Strokes of all types (ischemic stroke, transient ischemic attack, intracerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage) were included. Standard descriptive statistics, multivariable logistic regression and general linear modeling were applied to the data to compare variables.Results:Among 2,585 stroke patients, 349 (13.5%) woke up with stroke and 2,236 (86.5%) did not. Patients with stroke-on-awakening were more likely to have higher blood pressure and to suffer ischemic stroke, but stroke severity, measured by level of consciousness, did not differ. Mortality both at discharge and at six-month follow-up did not differ between the two cohorts. However, patients with stroke-on-awakening were less likely to return home, and their median Stroke Impact Scale-16 scores were 7.0 points lower compared to those with stroke-while-awake.Conclusions:There are minor demographic and clinical differences between patients with stroke-on-awakening and stroke-while-awake. Functional outcomes are slightly worse among patients with stroke-on-awakening, an effect which was driven by poor outcomes among patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage.

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Speckle tracking echocardiography in patients with stroke

European Heart Journal ◽

10.1093/ehjci/ehaa946.2441 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽

Author(s):

E Trush ◽

S.V Ivanova ◽

E.N Yushchuk ◽

A.A Savin ◽

I.V Melehina

Keyword(s):

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Speckle Tracking ◽

Speckle Tracking Echocardiography ◽

Global Longitudinal Strain ◽

Ct Scanning ◽

Left Ventricular ◽

Stroke Severity ◽

Large Artery ◽

Stroke Subtypes ◽

Significant Difference

Abstract Introduction Global longitudinal strain (GLS) via speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) has emerged as a quantitative technique to estimate myocardial function and has been shown to have clinical utility in a variety of settings. The use of this technique in patients with a stroke is limited. Purpose Comparative analysis of myocardial deformation indicators in patients with a stroke, depending on the severity and subtype. Results 230 patients with an acute cerebrovascular accident (132 men and 98 women) were included in our study, with the mean age of 64,9±10,8. Transient ischemic attack (TIA) was diagnosed in 39 (17%), acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in 191 (83%) patients. The type of an ischemic stroke in each patient was classified as one of the following traditional stroke subtypes: large-artery atherosclerosis (LAA) was diagnosed in 85 (44,5%), cardioembolic infarcts were diagnosed in 58 (30,4%), lacunar infarcts were diagnosed in 32 (16,8%) and in 16 (8,4%) the stroke was of another determined or undetermined etiology. There was no significant difference in left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) between the subgroups of TIA and AIS - 63.0% [60.0; 65.0] and 62.0% [58.0; 65.0], respectively. The LV GLS was within normal limits and amounted to 19.9±2.6 in the TIA group where as in the group of patients with stroke there was a significant (p<0.01) decrease in GLS below standard values - 17.1±3.8. The LV EF showed no significant difference between the groups of stroke subtypes. However, a decrease in GLS was found in the series from cardioembolic infarct > lacunar infarct > LAA - 17.5±3.7 > 16.5±6.5 > 16.2±3.2 (p=0,7). A decrease in GLS was significantly more often observed in male patients. A decrease in the level of GLS in patients with a stroke is associated with duration of type 2 diabetes, stroke severity by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, ECG voltage criteria for LVH, increase in heart rate, LV mass/BSA, relative wall thickness (RWT) according to echocardiography. Significant differences in GLS from the size of the stroke focus according to CT scanning/ magnetic resonance imaging were not detected. Conclusion GLS via STE in patients with a stroke correlates with the severity of a stroke, the severity of LV remodeling, risk factors for cardiovascular events and requires a further study to assess the long-term prognosis Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None

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Dysphagia screening after intracerebral hemorrhage

International Journal of Stroke ◽

10.1177/1747493017729265 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 13 (5) ◽

pp. 503-510 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Raed A Joundi ◽

Rosemary Martino ◽

Gustavo Saposnik ◽

Vasily Giannakeas ◽

Jiming Fang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Intracerebral Hemorrhage ◽

Acute Stroke ◽

Clinical Severity ◽

Stroke Severity ◽

Stroke Registry ◽

Patients At Risk ◽

Poor Outcomes ◽

Risk Of Aspiration ◽

To Receive

Background Dysphagia screening is recommended after acute stroke to identify patients at risk of aspiration and implement appropriate care. However, little is known about the frequency and outcomes of patients undergoing dysphagia screening after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Methods We used the Ontario Stroke Registry from 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2013 to identify patients hospitalized with acute stroke and to compare dysphagia screening rates in those with ICH and ischemic stroke. In patients with ICH we assessed predictors of receiving dysphagia screening, predictors of failing screening, and outcomes after failing screening. Results Among 1091 eligible patients with ICH, 354 (32.4%) patients did not have documented dysphagia screening. Patients with mild ICH were less likely to receive screening (40.4% of patients were omitted, adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.40, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.26–0.63). Older age, greater stroke severity, speech deficits, lower initial level of consciousness, and admission to intensive care unit were predictive of failing the screening test. Failing screening was associated with poor outcomes, including pneumonia (aOR 5.3, 95% CI 2.36–11.88), severe disability (aOR 4.78, 95% CI 3.08–7.41), and 1-year mortality (adjusted hazard ratio 2.1, 95% CI 1.38–3.17). When compared to patients with ischemic stroke, patients with ICH were less likely to receive dysphagia screening (aOR 0.64, 95% CI 0.54–0.76) and more likely to fail screening (aOR 1.98, 95% 1.62–2.42). Conclusion One-third of patients with ICH did not have documented dysphagia screening, increasing to 40% in patients with mild clinical severity. Failing screening was associated with poor outcomes. Patients with ICH were less like to receive screening and twice as likely to fail compared to patients with ischemic stroke, and thus efforts should be made to include ICH patients in dysphagia screening protocols whenever possible.

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Association of Level and Increase in D‐Dimer With All‐Cause Death and Poor Functional Outcome After Ischemic Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack

Journal of the American Heart Association ◽

10.1161/jaha.120.018600 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Huiqing Hou ◽

Xianglong Xiang ◽

Yuesong Pan ◽

Hao Li ◽

Xia Meng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Functional Outcome ◽

Transient Ischemic Attack ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Poor Functional Outcome ◽

Stroke Registry ◽

Poor Outcomes ◽

Ischemic Attack ◽

High Level ◽

D Dimer

Background D‐dimer is involved in poor outcomes of stroke as a coagulation biomarker. We aimed to investigate the associations of the level and increase in D‐dimer between baseline and 90 days with all‐cause death or poor functional outcome in patients after ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack. Methods and Results We collected data from the CNSRIII (Third China National Stroke Registry) study. The present substudy included 10 518 patients within 7 days (baseline) of ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack and 6268 patients at 90 days. Poor functional outcome at 1 year was assessed on the basis of the modified Rankin Scale (≥3). Multivariable Cox regression or logistic regression was used to assess the association of D‐dimer levels with all‐cause death or poor functional outcome. D‐dimer levels at 90 days were lower than those at baseline (1.4 µg/mL versus 1.7 µg/mL; P <0.001). Higher baseline D‐dimer level was associated with all‐cause death (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.77; 95% CI, 1.25–2.52; P =0.001) and poor functional outcome (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.49; 95% CI, 1.23–1.80; P <0.001) during 1‐year follow‐up. Higher D‐dimer level at 90 days was also associated with poor outcomes independently. Furthermore, an increase in D‐dimer levels between baseline and 90 days was associated with all‐cause death (since 90 days to 1 year after index event) (adjusted HR, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.12–3.53; P =0.019) but not with poor functional outcome (adjusted OR, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.82–1.41). Conclusions Our study shows that high level and an increase in D‐dimer between baseline and 90 days are associated with poor outcomes in patients after ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack.

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Triglyceride glucose index influences platelet reactivity in acute ischemic stroke patients

BMC Neurology ◽

10.1186/s12883-021-02443-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yinping Guo ◽

Jing Zhao ◽

Yi Zhang ◽

Lingshan Wu ◽

Zhiyuan Yu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Insulin Resistance ◽

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽

Platelet Reactivity ◽

Multivariate Logistic Regression Analysis ◽

Platelet Inhibition ◽

Inhibition Rate ◽

Stroke Patients ◽

Tyg Index ◽

Significant Difference

Abstract Aim Insulin resistance was reported to increase the risk of ischemic stroke, which can be assessed by the triglyceride glucose (TyG) index. However, it remains unclear whether the TyG index influences the platelet reactivity during the treatment of ischemic patients. Methods Ischemic stroke patients receiving dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) within 48 h onset were consecutively included. The TyG index was calculated as ln (fasting triglyceride [mg/dL] × fasting glucose [mg/dL]/2). The top quartile of TyG index was defined as insulin resistance. The platelet reactivity was assessed by thromboelastography. The platelet inhibition rate induced by arachidonic acid (AA) or adenosine diphosphate (ADP) was used to confirm the high residual on-treatment platelet reactivity (HRPR) to aspirin or clopidogrel, respectively. The association between TyG index and platelet reactivity was assessed by Kruskal–Wallis test. The independent risk factors of HRPR were determined by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results A total of 1002 patients were included and divided into 4 groups by quartiles of the TyG index (< 2.02; 2.02–2.27; 2.27–2.52; ≥2.52). The findings demonstrated that the maximum intensity of the clot increased, but the AA-induced platelet inhibition rate decreased, depending on the TyG index quartiles. No significant difference was found in the ADP-induced platelet inhibition rate among groups. The prevalence of aspirin HRPR increased depending on the TyG index quartile. Unlike the non-insulin resistance group, the insulin resistance group was independently associated with aspirin HRPR (OR = 1.689, 95% CI 1.14 to 2.51, P = 0.009). Conclusions In acute ischemic stroke patients taking DAPT, the elevation of the TyG index is associated with enhanced platelet reactivity and higher prevalence of aspirin HRPR. Insulin resistance assessed by the TyG index could be an independent risk factor for aspirin HRPR.

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Cancer-Associated Hypercoagulation Increases the Risk of Early Recurrent Stroke in Patients with Active Cancer

Cerebrovascular Diseases ◽

10.1159/000491436 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 46 (1-2) ◽

pp. 46-51 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Jun Fujinami ◽

Tomoyuki Ohara ◽

Fukiko Kitani-Morii ◽

Yasuhiro Tomii ◽

Naoki Makita ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽

Recurrent Stroke ◽

Stroke Recurrence ◽

Multivariable Logistic Regression Analysis ◽

Stroke Patients ◽

Recurrent Cancer ◽

Systemic Metastasis ◽

D Dimer ◽

Active Cancer

Background: This study assessed the incidence and predictors of short-term stroke recurrence in ischemic stroke patients with active cancer, and elucidated whether cancer-associated hypercoagulation is related to early recurrent stroke. Methods: We retrospectively enrolled acute ischemic stroke patients with active cancer admitted to our hospital between 2006 and 2017. Active cancer was defined as diagnosis or treatment for any cancer within 12 months before stroke onset, known recurrent cancer or metastatic disease. The primary clinical outcome was recurrent ischemic stroke within 30 days. Results: One hundred ten acute ischemic stroke patients with active cancer (73 men, age 71.3 ± 10.1 years) were enrolled. Of those, recurrent stroke occurred in 12 patients (11%). When patients with and without recurrent stroke were compared, it was found that those with recurrent stroke had a higher incidence of pancreatic cancer (33 vs. 10%), systemic metastasis (75 vs. 39%), multiple vascular territory infarctions (MVTI; 83 vs. 40%), and higher D-dimer levels (16.9 vs. 2.9 µg/mL). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that each factor mentioned above was not significantly associated with stroke recurrence independently, but high D-dimer (hDD) levels (≥10.4 µg/mL) and MVTI together were significantly associated with stroke recurrence (OR 6.20, 95% CI 1.42–30.7, p = 0.015). Conclusions: Ischemic stroke patients with active cancer faced a high risk of early recurrent stroke. The concurrence of hDD levels (≥10.4 µg/mL) and MVTI was an independent predictor of early recurrent stroke in active cancer patients. Our findings suggest that cancer-associated hypercoagulation increases the early recurrent stroke risk.

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Abstract TP148: The Hydration Influence on the Risk of Ischemic Stroke Outcomes (THIRST-EXPANSION STUDY)

Stroke ◽

10.1161/str.44.suppl_1.atp148 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 44 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Mohammad Moussavi ◽

Gustavo Rodriguez ◽

Joseph Alario ◽

Ravjot Sodhi ◽

Aaron Nizam ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Serum Osmolality ◽

Hydration Status ◽

Stroke Severity ◽

Past Study ◽

Stroke Patients ◽

Stroke Outcomes ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Mean

Introduction: Extensive studies have not been done in patients presenting with ischemic stroke regarding hydration status. It is unclear whether all of the elements of hydration status affect disability on discharge. Our past study suggests that high serum osmolality has a negative impact on ischemic stroke severity. This continuation of our prior study aims to test the effect of all laboratory elements of dehydration on severity and outcome of ischemic stroke patients. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of ischemic stroke patients admitted between 2004 and 2009 at a community teaching hospital. Serum BUN/Creatinine and serum osmolality (sOsm) was calculated at initial presentation. sOSm, BUN/Cr, hematocrit and bicarbonate levels were analyzed for association with NIHSS and mRS. Patients were divided into two groups by sOsm as follows: (1) sOsm < 295, (2) sOsm ≥ 295; and two groups by BUN/Cr as follows: (3) BUN/Cr < 20, (4) BUN/Cr ≥ 20. Discharge mRS score was compared between (1) and (2); and (3) and (4) to determine the effect of sOsm and BUN/Cr on stroke outcomes. All data was analyzed using SPSS software version 20. Results: Of 1350 patients, 543 (mean age = 72.5 +/-14.2, 56% female) were included. There was a significant difference between the mean admission NIHSS in (1) 8.57, n = 222 and (2) 7.09, n = 319, p < .05 and between (3) 8.90, n = 219 and (4) 6.87, n = 322, p < .05. There was a significant difference in the mean mRS score between (1) 2.92, n = 222 and (2) 2.54, n = 317, p < .05, and (3) 2.92, n = 218 and (4) 2.56, n = 321, p < .05. The same results were found when comparing discharge sOsm values to predict patient outcome. Discharge sOsm correlated with mRS (r = .147, p < .05). Initial BUN/Cr correlated with NIHSS (r = .128, p < .05) and mRS (r = .107, p < .05) and final BUN/Cr with mRS (r = .161, p < .001). Bicarbonate levels at admission correlated with NIHSS at admission (r = -0.134), p < 0.05. Hematocrit levels at discharge correlated with mRS (r= -0.183), p <0.001. Conclusion: Our study suggests that patients with BUN/Cr and sOsm above normal levels at admission and dishcarge have worse outcome at discharge. We also found a correlation between other laboratory variables of dehydration status, namely hematocrit levels and outcome. A future prospective randomized study is warranted.

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Abstract TP315: D-dimer is Associated With 30-day Mortality in Acute Ischemic Stroke With Active Cancer

Stroke ◽

10.1161/str.48.suppl_1.tp315 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 48 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Ki Woong Nam ◽

Chi Kyung Kim ◽

Tae Jung Kim ◽

Sang Joon An ◽

Kyungmi Oh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽

Infarct Volume ◽

Hemorrhagic Transformation ◽

Stroke Patients ◽

Nihss Score ◽

Patients With Cancer ◽

Advanced Stages ◽

D Dimer ◽

Active Cancer

Background: Stroke in cancer patients is not rare, but is a devastating event with high mortality. However, the predictors of mortality in stroke patients with cancer have not been well addressed. D-dimer could be a useful predictor because it can reflect both thromboembolic events and advanced stages of cancer. In this study, we evaluate the possibility of D-dimer as a predictor of 30-day mortality in stroke patients with active cancer. Methods: We included 210 ischemic stroke patients with active cancer. The data of 30-day mortality were collected by reviewing medical records. We also collected follow-up D-dimer levels in 106 (50%) participants to evaluate the effects of treatment response on D-dimer levels. Results: Of the 210 participants, 30-day mortality occurred in 28 (13%) patients. Higher initial NIHSS score, D-dimer levels, CRP levels, frequent cryptogenic mechanism, systemic metastasis, multiple vascular territory lesion, hemorrhagic transformation, and larger infarct volume were related to 30-day mortality. In the multivariate analysis, D-dimer [adjusted OR (aOR) = 2.19; 95% CI, 1.46-3.28, P < 0.001] predicted 30-day mortality after adjusting for confounders. Initial NIHSS score (aOR = 1.07; 95% CI, 1.00-1.14, P = 0.043) and hemorrhagic transformation (aOR = 3.02; 95% CI, 1.10-8.29, P = 0.032) were also significant independently from D-dimer levels. In the analysis of D-dimer changes after treatment, the mortality group showed no significant decrease of D-dimer levels, despite treatment, while the survivor group showed opposite responses. Conclusions: D-dimer levels may predict 30-day mortality in acute ischemic stroke patients with active cancer.

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