Abstract TP23: Mortality Risk in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients With Large Vessel Occlusion Treated With Mechanical Thrombectomy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Introduction: Recent randomized-controlled clinical trials (RCTs) have provided solid evidence that mechanical thrombectomy (MT) coupled with best medical therapy (BMT) improve functional outcomes of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO) compared to BMT alone. However, they provided inconclusive evidence on the benefit of MT on mortality. Methods: We evaluated the association of MT+BMT compared to BMT with the risk of three-month mortality using aggregate data from all available RCTs. We also sought to identify potential predictors on the mortality risk and performed univariate meta-regression analyses. Results: Our literature search identified 11 eligible RCTs, including a total of 2,460 patients. The pooled rates of 3-month mortality were 15% (95%CI:12-19%) and 19% (95%CI:16-23%), respectively, in the MT+BMT and BMT groups. In the overall analysis MT+BMT was associated with a significantly lower risk for 3-month mortality compared to BMT (Risk Ratio=0.83, 95% confidence interval:0.69-0.99; p=0.04), without heterogeneity across included studies (I 2 =3%,p for Cochran Q=0.41). No evidence of publication bias was present in funnel plot inspection and Egger’s statistical test (p=0.762). In meta-regression analyses no moderating effect on the aforementioned association was detected with patient age (p=0.254), gender (p=0.702), admission systolic blood pressure (p=0.601), admission glucose (p=0.277), onset-to-groin puncture time (p=0.985), administration of intravenous alteplase prior to MT (p=0.804), MT under general anesthesia (p=0.735) and successful reperfusion following MT (p=0.663). Conclusion: Our meta-analysis provides evidence that MT+BMT reduce the risk of three-month mortality compared to BMT alone. This association appears not to be moderated by individual patient or procedural characteristics.