scholarly journals Blood Biomarkers of Heart Failure and Hypercoagulation to Identify Atrial Fibrillation–Related Stroke

Stroke ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (8) ◽  
pp. 2223-2226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Kneihsl ◽  
Thomas Gattringer ◽  
Egbert Bisping ◽  
Daniel Scherr ◽  
Reinhard Raggam ◽  
...  

Background and Purpose— Occult atrial fibrillation (AF) causes a relevant proportion of initially cryptogenic stroke (CS), but prolonged rhythm monitoring is difficult to apply to all such patients. We hypothesized that blood biomarkers indicating heart failure (NT-proBNP [N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide]) and hypercoagulability (D-dimer, AT-III [antithrombin-III]) were associated with AF-related stroke and could serve to predict the likelihood of AF detection in CS patients early on. Methods— Over a 1-year period, we prospectively applied a defined etiologic work-up to all ischemic stroke patients admitted to our stroke unit. If no clear stroke cause was detected (CS), patients underwent extended in-hospital cardiac rhythm monitoring (≥72 hours). Blood to determine biomarker levels was drawn within 24 hours after admission. Results— Of 429 patients, 103 had AF-related stroke. Compared with noncardiac stroke patients (n=171), they had higher NT-proBNP (1867 versus 263 pg/ml) and D-dimer levels (1.1 versus 0.6 µg/ml), and lower AT-III concentration (89% versus 94%). NT-proBNP ≥505 pg/ml distinguished AF-related from noncardiac stroke with a sensitivity of 93% and a specificity of 72%. D-dimer and AT-III cutoffs had lower sensitivities (61% and 53%) and specificities (58% and 69%) for AF-related stroke. Of all initially 143 CS patients, 14 were diagnosed with AF during in-hospital monitoring. The preidentified NT-proBNP cutoff ≥505 pg/ml correctly predicted AF in 12 of them (86%, negative predictive value: 98%), while D-dimer and AT-III cutoffs were noncontributory. Conclusions— This study supports the association of NT-proBNP and to a lesser extent of hypercoagulation markers with AF-related stroke. NT-proBNP seems helpful in selecting CS patients for immediate extended cardiac rhythm monitoring to detect occult AF whereby levels <505 pg/ml seem to have a high-negative predictive value.

Stroke ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Esseddeeg M Ghrooda ◽  
Peter Dobrowolski ◽  
Ghazala Basir ◽  
Ibrahim Yaseen ◽  
Nazim khan ◽  
...  

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) related cardioembolic stroke accounts for over 20% of ischemic stroke. Recent reports using prolonged cardiac rhythm monitoring (PCRM) in cryptogenic stroke reveal paroxysmal AF (PAF) in an additional 20% of patients. We report our findings with PCRM in patients with and without cryptogenic stroke patients in whom an initial 24-h Holter was negative. Methods: Patients admitted to the stroke service with no previous history of AF and no AF on Holter monitoring were enrolled for 3 weeks of PCRM. We used a PAF predictive score to determine the risk of the arrhythmia. All studies were interpreted by the stroke team prior to final review by the cardiologist. Results: Between Sept 2012 and June 2013, 96 patients were evaluated. Over all PAF was diagnoses in 37.5 % of patients. PAF was diagnosed in 32% of patients with cryptogenic stroke and 36 % of patients where an additional etiology may account for the stroke diagnosis. The AF prediction score was not useful in the recognition of patients that were more likely to be at risk for AF. 96 of 98 recordings were correctly identified by the stroke team prior to final diagnosis by the cardiologist. Interpretation: PAF is more common in stroke patients than was previously suspected. It occurs with similar frequency in patients with and without cryptogenic stroke. Our data strongly supports the need for prolonged cardiac rhythm monitoring in all stroke patients to diagnose this important preventable cause of ischemic stroke.


Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 141 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Balkan ◽  
Matthew Mefford ◽  
Ligong Chen ◽  
Madeline R Sterling ◽  
Raegan W Durant ◽  
...  

Introduction: Studies of incident heart failure (HF) have provided insights into key risk factors for the disease but have been limited to select populations that often lack geographic, racial, and gender diversity. There is a need to assemble a HF-free cohort using a contemporary, geographically diverse sample. Aim: To develop and validate a strategy for assembling a HF-free cohort from the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study. Methods: To assemble a HF-free cohort, we identified and excluded REGARDS participants who were taking HF-specific medications at baseline including: digoxin without atrial fibrillation, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker plus beta-blocker in the absence of hypertension, carvedilol, spironolactone, loop diuretic or a combination of hydralazine and nitrates. We then examined the subgroup of REGARDS participants with at least 6 months of Medicare claims at the time of the baseline assessment; we evaluated diagnostic performance (negative predictive value, positive predictive value, sensitivity and specificity) using three Medicare claims-based definitions of HF as the referent standard: Hospitalization for HF, Principal Diagnosis of HF, and Any Diagnosis of HF. Results: Among 28,884 eligible participants, 3,125 used HF-specific medications at baseline, leaving 25,759 (89%) participants in the proposed HF-free cohort. Participants in the HF-free cohort had a lower prevalence of coronary disease, atrial fibrillation, and diabetes compared to excluded participants. Depending on the Medicare definition used as the referent, the percent of the HF-free cohort without evidence of HF based on Medicare claims (the negative predictive value) ranged from 95.0-99.2% (Table 1). Negative predictive value was stable across age, sex, and race strata. Conclusions: This medication-based strategy to assembling a HF-free cohort in REGARDS can serve as a basis for future studies to examine incident HF in REGARDS and similar studies.


VASA ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 450-458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julio Flores ◽  
Ángel García-Avello ◽  
Esther Alonso ◽  
Antonio Ruíz ◽  
Olga Navarrete ◽  
...  

Background: We evaluated the diagnostic efficacy of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and compared it with an ELISA D-dimer (VIDAS D-dimer) in acute pulmonary embolism (PE). Patients and methods: We studied 127 consecutive outpatients with clinically suspected PE. The diagnosis of PE was based on a clinical probability pretest for PE and a strict protocol of imaging studies. A plasma sample to measure the levels of tPA and D-dimer was obtained at enrollment. Diagnostic accuracy for tPA and D-dimer was determined by the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and the diagnostic utility of tPA with a cutoff of 8.5 ng/mL and D-dimer with a cutoff of 500 ng/mL, were calculated for PE diagnosis. Results: PE was confirmed in 41 patients (32 %). Areas under ROC curves were 0.86 for D-dimer and 0.71 for tPA. The sensitivity/negative predictive value for D-dimer using a cutoff of 500 ng/mL, and tPA using a cutoff of 8.5 ng/mL, were 95 % (95 % CI, 88–100 %)/95 % (95 % CI, 88–100 %) and 95 % (95 % CI, 88–100 %)/94 %), respectively. The diagnostic utility to exclude PE was 28.3 % (95 % CI, 21–37 %) for D-dimer and 24.4 % (95 % CI, 17–33 %) for tPA. Conclusions: The tPA with a cutoff of 8.5 ng/mL has a high sensitivity and negative predictive value for exclusion of PE, similar to those observed for the VIDAS D-dimer with a cutoff of 500 ng/mL, although the diagnostic utility was slightly higher for the D-dimer.


1996 ◽  
Vol 76 (04) ◽  
pp. 518-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Elias ◽  
I Aptel ◽  
B Huc ◽  
J J Chale ◽  
F Nguyen ◽  
...  

SummaryThe current D-Dimer ELISA methods provide high sensitivity and negative predictive value for the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis but these methods are not suitable for emergency or for individual determination. We have evaluated the performance of 3 newly available fast D-Dimer assays (Vidas D-Di, BioMerieux; Instant IA D-Di, Stago; Nycocard D-Dimer, Nycomed) in comparison with 3 classic ELISA methods (Stago, Organon, Behring) and a Latex agglutination technique (Stago). One-hundred-and-seventy-one patients suspected of presenting a first episode of deep vein thrombosis were investigated. A deep vein thrombosis was detected in 75 patients (43.8%) by ultrasonic duplex scanning of the lower limbs; in 11 of them the thrombi were distal and very limited in size (<2 cm). We compared the performance of the tests by calculating their sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value for different cut-off levels and by calculating the area under ROC curves. The concordance of the different methods was evaluated by calculating the kappa coefficient. The performances of the 3 classic ELISA and of the Vidas D-Di were comparable and kappa coefficients indicated a good concordance between the results provided by these assays. Their sensitivity slightly declined for detection of the very small thrombi. Instant IA D-Di had a non-significantly lower sensitivity and negative predictive value than the 4 previous assays; however its performance was excellent for out-patients. As expected, the Latex assay had too low a sensitivity and negative predictive value to be recommended. In our hands, Nycocard D-Dimer also exhibited low sensitivity and negative predictive value, which were significantly improved when the plasma samples were tested by the manufacturer. Thus significant progress has been made, allowing clinical studies to be planned to compare the safety and cost-effectiveness of D-Dimer strategy to those of the conventional methods for the diagnosis of venous thrombosis.


Heart Rhythm ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorin Harpaz ◽  
Ram Bajpai ◽  
Geelyn J.L. Ng ◽  
Michael Soljak ◽  
Robert S. Marks ◽  
...  

2002 ◽  
Vol 87 (01) ◽  
pp. 7-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Legnani ◽  
Benilde Cosmi ◽  
Giuliana Guazzaloca ◽  
Claudia Pancani ◽  
Sergio Coccheri ◽  
...  

SummaryIn some patients with previous venous thromboembolism (VTE) D-dimer levels (D-Dimer) tend to increase after oral anticoagulant therapy (OAT) is stopped. The aim of our study was to evaluate the predictive value of D-Dimer for the risk of VTE recurrence after OAT withdrawal. After a first episode of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of the lower limbs and/or pulmonary embolism (PE), 396 patients (median age 67 years, 198 males) were followed from the day of OAT discontinuation for 21 months. D-dimer was measured on the day of OAT withdrawal (T1), 3-4 weeks (T2) and 3 months (+/− 10 days, T3) thereafter. The main outcome events of the study were: objectively documented recurrent DVT and/or PE. D-dimer was found to be increased in 15.5%, 40.3% and 46.2% of the patients at T1, T2 and T3, respectively. In 199 (50.2%) patients, D-dimer levels were elevated in at least one measurement. During a follow-up of 628.4 years, 40 recurrences were recorded (10.1% of patients; 6.4% patient-years of follow-up). D-dimer was increased in at least one measurement in 28 of these cases, but remained normal in 11 subjects (three of whom had recurrent events triggered by circumstantial factors, three with malignancyassociated factors) (in one subject D-dimer was not measured). The negative predictive value (NPV) of D-dimer was 95.6% (95% CI 91.6-98.1) at T3 and was even higher (96.7%; 95% CI 92.9-98.8) after exclusion of the six recurrences due to circumstantial factors. Only five idiopathic recurrences occurred in the 186 patients with consistently normal D-dimer. In conclusion, D-dimer has a high NPV for VTE recurrence when performed after OAT discontinuation.


Stroke ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Millene Camilo ◽  
Alan Eckeli ◽  
Heidi Sander ◽  
Regina Fernandes ◽  
Joao Leite ◽  
...  

Background: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is frequent in the acute phase of stroke. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been found in 62% of stroke patients. The impact of OSA is significant after ischemic stroke, including early neurological deterioration, poor functional outcome and increased long-term mortality. However, performing polysomnography (PSG) for all patients with acute stroke for diagnose OSA is still impracticable. Therefore clinical tools to select patients at higher risk for OSA would be essential. The aim of this study was to determine the validity of the Berlin Questionnaire (BQ) and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) to identify stroke patients in whom the PSG would be indicated. Methods: Subjects with ischemic stroke were stratified into high and low risk groups for SDB using a BQ. The ESS ≥ 10 was used to define excessive daytime sleepiness. The BQ and ESS were administered to the relatives of stroke patients at hospital admission. All patients were submitted to a full overnight PSG at the first night after symptoms onset. OSA severity was measured by the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). Results: We prospectively studied 40 ischemic stroke patients. The mean age was 62 ± 12.1 years and the obstructive sleep apnea (AHI ≥ 15) was present in 67.5%. On stratifying risk of OSA in these patients based on the QB, 77.5% belonged to the high-risk and 50% to the ESS ≥ 10. The sensitivity of QB was 85%, the specificity 35%, the positive predictive value 74% and the negative predictive value 55%. For ESS was respectively 63%, 85%, 89% and 52%. The diagnostic value of the BQ and ESS in combination to predict OSA had a sensitivity of 58%, a specificity of 89%, a positive predictive value of 95% and a negative predictive value of 38%. Conclusions: The QB even applied to the bed-partners of stroke patients is a useful screening tool for OSA.


2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 633-644 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Proietti ◽  
Alessio Farcomeni ◽  
Giulio Francesco Romiti ◽  
Arianna Di Rocco ◽  
Filippo Placentino ◽  
...  

Aims Many clinical scores for risk stratification in patients with atrial fibrillation have been proposed, and some have been useful in predicting all-cause mortality. We aim to analyse the relationship between clinical risk score and all-cause death occurrence in atrial fibrillation patients. Methods We performed a systematic search in PubMed and Scopus from inception to 22 July 2017. We considered the following scores: ATRIA-Stroke, ATRIA-Bleeding, CHADS2, CHA2DS2-VASc, HAS-BLED, HATCH and ORBIT. Papers reporting data about scores and all-cause death rates were considered. Results Fifty studies and 71 scores groups were included in the analysis, with 669,217 patients. Data on ATRIA-Bleeding, CHADS2, CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED were available. All the scores were significantly associated with an increased risk for all-cause death. All the scores showed modest predictive ability at five years (c-indexes (95% confidence interval) CHADS2: 0.64 (0.63–0.65), CHA2DS2-VASc: 0.62 (0.61–0.64), HAS-BLED: 0.62 (0.58–0.66)). Network meta-regression found no significant differences in predictive ability. CHA2DS2-VASc score had consistently high negative predictive value (≥94%) at one, three and five years of follow-up; conversely it showed the highest probability of being the best performing score (63% at one year, 60% at three years, 68% at five years). Conclusion In atrial fibrillation patients, contemporary clinical risk scores are associated with an increased risk of all-cause death. Use of these scores for death prediction in atrial fibrillation patients could be considered as part of holistic clinical assessment. The CHA2DS2-VASc score had consistently high negative predictive value during follow-up and the highest probability of being the best performing clinical score.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document