Frequency and Prognostic Significance of Clinical Fluctuations Before Hospital Arrival in Stroke

Stroke ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose G. Romano ◽  
Hannah Gardener ◽  
Eric E. Smith ◽  
Iszet Campo-Bustillo ◽  
Yosef Khan ◽  
...  

Background and Purpose: Clinical fluctuations in ischemic stroke symptoms are common, but fluctuations before hospital arrival have not been previously characterized. Methods: A standardized qualitative assessment of fluctuations before hospital arrival was obtained in an observational study that enrolled patients with mild ischemic stroke symptoms (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale [NIHSS] score of 0–5) present on arrival to hospital within 4.5 hours of onset, in a subset of 100 hospitals participating in the Get With The Guidelines–Stroke quality improvement program. The number of fluctuations, direction, and the overall improvement or worsening was recorded based on reports from the patient, family, or paramedics. Baseline NIHSS on arrival and at 72 hours (or discharge if before) and final diagnosis and stroke subtype were collected. Outcomes at 90 days included the modified Rankin Scale, Barthel Index, Stroke Impact Scale 16, and European Quality of Life. Prehospital fluctuations were examined in relation to hospital NIHSS change (admission to 72 hours or discharge) and 90-day outcomes. Results: Among 1588 participants, prehospital fluctuations, consisting of improvement, worsening, or both were observed in 35.5%: 25.1% improved once, 5.3% worsened once, and 5.1% had more than 1 fluctuation. Those who improved were less likely and those who worsened were more likely to receive alteplase. Those who improved before hospital arrival had lower change in the hospital NIHSS than those who did not fluctuate. Better adjusted 90-day outcomes were noted in those with prehospital improvement compared to those without any fluctuations. Conclusions: Fluctuations in neurological symptoms and signs are common in the prehospital setting. Prehospital improvement was associated with better 90-day outcomes, controlling for admission NIHSS and alteplase treatment. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT 02072681.

Stroke ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose G Romano ◽  
Hannah Gardener ◽  
Iszet Campo-Bustillo ◽  
Yosef Khan ◽  
Sofie Tai ◽  
...  

Background: Although most strokes present with mild symptoms, these have been poorly represented in clinical trials. The objective is to describe multidimensional outcomes, identify predictors of worse outcomes and explore the effect of thrombolysis in this population. Methods: This prospective observational study included patients with ischemic stroke or TIA presenting with stroke symptoms and a baseline NIHSS 0-5 within 4.5 hours from symptom onset. The primary outcome was a 90-day modified Rankin Scale (mRS) 0-1; secondary outcomes included good outcomes in the Barthel Index, Stroke Impact Scale-16 (SIS-16) and European Quality of Life. Multivariable models were created to determine predictors of outcomes and the effect of alteplase. Results: A total of 1765 participants were included from 100 Get With The Guidelines (GWTG)-Stroke participating hospitals (age 65 + 14, 42% women, final diagnosis ischemic stroke 90%, TIA 10%, 57% received alteplase). At 90 days, 37% were disabled and 25% not independent. Worse outcomes were noted for older individuals, women, non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanics, Medicaid, smokers, those with diabetes, atrial fibrillation, prior stroke, higher baseline NIHSS, visual field defects, arm and leg weakness. Similar outcomes were noted for the alteplase-treated and the untreated groups. Alteplase treated patients were younger (64 + 13 vs. 67 + 1.4) with a higher NIHSS (2.9 + 1.4 vs. 1.7 + 1.4). After adjusting for age, sex, race-ethnicity, and baseline NIHSS, we did not identify an effect of alteplase on the primary outcome but did find an effect on SIS-16 in the restricted sample of baseline NIHSS 3-5. Very few symptomatic hemorrhages were recorded (3/999). Conclusions: A large proportion of stroke patients presenting with a low NIHSS have a disabled outcome. Baseline predictors of worse outcomes are described. An effect of alteplase on outcomes was not identified in the overall cohort but an indication of efficacy was noted in the NIHSS 3-5 subgroup.


Stroke ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Mathew ◽  
Andrew Blake Buletko ◽  
Ather Taqui ◽  
Andrew Reimer ◽  
Stacey Winners ◽  
...  

Introduction: Prehospital evaluation and response is vital to effective and early delivery of acute stroke treatment. We aimed to compare the times across various prehospital times among stroke patients arriving by municipal EMS and MSTU. Methods: We performed a retrospective study of 107 patients with a final diagnosis of ischemic stroke within our hospital system from June 2014 to July 2015. We compared on scene arrival, hospital arrival, and time of physician assessment of patients evaluated on MSTU to traditional municipal EMS. Times are reported as medians and groups were compared by Rank-Sum Test. Results: Of 107 patients, 49 patients were evaluated by traditional EMS and 58 evaluated by MSTU. Time from dispatch to scene arrival was median 9 min (IQR 5.5 - 12min) in EMS group and median 12 min (IQR 8-16 min) n MSTU (p&lt0.01). Time on scene was 17 min (IQR 14 - 24min) in EMS group and median 42 min (IQR 36-48 min) in MSTU. There was no difference within the MSTU group in time on-scene among those treated with IV tpA (43 min) and those without (41 min, p=.08 ). After dispatch, patients arrived in hospital by EMS earlier (median 40 min, IQR 33-49min) than by MSTU (median 72 min, IQR 58-81min, p&lt.01), but patients on MSTU were evaluated by a physician at median 28 (IQR 21.5-34.5) min after dispatch. Conclusion: Early evaluation of ischemic stroke patients with MSTU, doubles the time on scene compared to municipal EMS.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Runnan Li ◽  
Chunyan Han ◽  
Xiuying Cai ◽  
Yan Kong ◽  
Lulu Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Up to 30% of patients with mild ischemic stroke suffer neurologic deterioration. However, optimal medical approaches of such patients remain controversial given the efficacy and safety of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT). The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether patients with acute mild stroke stratified with ABCD2 score (the risk of stroke on basis of age, blood pressure, clinical features, duration of symptoms, and presence of diabetes mellitus) could benefit from IVT. Methods: Among 3321 patients with a final diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke, we retrospectively included 224 patients identified with acute mild neurologic deficits (National Institution of Health Stroke Scale, NIHSS ≤5) treated with or without IVT. Odds ratios (OR) with their confidence intervals (CI) for outcomes between groups were assessed by using multivariable binary logistic regression analyses. And the heterogeneity of treatment effect magnitude for excellent outcome at 90d (modified Rankin Scale [mRS] 0-1) was estimated in different subgroups. Results: A total of 224 cases were enrolled, 106 receiving IVT and 118 treated with secondary stroke prevention strategies alone. At 7d, 30 (28.3%) patients with IVT treatment versus 16 (13.6%) patients not receiving IVT achieved significant improvement (≥4-point NIHSS score decrease or complete resolution; OR, 2.448; 95%CI, 1.204-4.977; P=0.013). At 90d, excellent outcome was achieved in 83 (78.3%) patients treated with IVT versus 77 (65.35%) patients without IVT treatment (OR, 3.156; 95%CI, 1.526-6.528; P=0.002), especially in those with ABCD2 score ≥5 (OR, 2.768; 95%CI, 1.196-6.406; P=0.017) and with stroke subtype of large artery atherosclerosis (OR, 5.616; 95%CI, 1.080-29.210; P=0.040). Besides, 7(6.6%) IVT-treated patients versus 2 (1.7%) non-IVT-treated patients developed intracranial hemorrhage (ICH; P=0.359), among these only 1 (0.9%) was symptomatic ICH in IVT group. Conclusions: For acute mild ischemic stroke patients, we reassured the safety and especially the efficacy of IVT at 7- and 90-days. Patients with 5 or more of ABCD2 score and stroke subtype of large artery atherosclerosis might benefit more from IVT.


2017 ◽  
pp. 119-123
Author(s):  
Dinh Toan Nguyen ◽  
Viet Hoan Tong

Background: Current evidence shows that uric acid is a potent antioxidant whose serum concentration increases rapidly after acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Nevertheless, the relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) levels and AIS outcome remains debatable. We aimed to describe the prognostic significance of SUA in AIS. Methods: We studied 84 patients with AIS admitted to the cardiology, Hue Central Hospital from May, 2015 to October 2016. Acid uric concentration was measured at hospital arrival, day 3 and day 7. Correlated equation was constructed to analyze the association of SUA with functional outcome as assessed by the modified Rankin scale (mRS) at 30-day follow-up. Results: Mean SUA concentration at hospital arrival was (344.86±64.84 μmol/l), day 2 (323.76±57.47 μmol/l), day 3 (308.57±42.50 μmol/l) and higher than those of control group significantly (304.93±38.29 μmol/l). SUA was correlated positively with severity assessed by NIHSS and the functional dependence (mRS >2) at 30 days. Conclusions: Our findings support the hypothesis that SUA is more a marker of the magnitude of the cerebral infarction than an independent predictor of stroke outcome. Key words: acute ischemic stroke (AIS), uric acid, prognosis


Stroke ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucas Ramirez ◽  
Nichole Bosson ◽  
Marianne Gausche-Hill ◽  
Jeffery L Saver ◽  
Sid Starkman ◽  
...  

Background: Last known well time (LKWT) is increasingly used by EMS systems to identify acute stroke patients appropriate for direct routing to Stroke Centers. However, determining LKWT in the field is challenging, as patients may be aphasic, witnesses may not be available on scene, and rapid departure from the scene is desirable. Objective: To characterize the concordance and degree of discordance between prehospital-determined LKWT and final LKWT documented at the hospital. Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of consecutive patients with positive prehospital stroke screens transported to an approved stroke center in a large metropolitan system from January 2011 to December 2014. Data was abstracted from the regional EMS Agency stroke database. Patients with missing prehospital or hospital documentation of LKWT were excluded. The percent concordance and the median difference were calculated for prehospital versus final hospital documented LKWT. The effect of patient characteristics on discordance was also explored via multivariate regression analysis. Result: Among the 9,810 patients transported for suspected stroke, the median age was 75 (Interquartile range [IQR] 62-85) years, 53% were women, 67% White, 11% Asian, 9% Black and 27% Hispanic. The median NIHSS was 11 (IQR 4 to 20). 83% had a cerebrovascular final diagnosis, ischemic stroke (IS) being the most common (n=5160, 53%), whereas 17% had a non-stroke-related diagnosis. There were 6873 patients missing either prehospital or hospital documentation of LKWT leaving 9810 patients for the analysis. Prehospital and hospital documented LKWTs were exactly equal in 42% of patients (36% for IS), within 15 minutes in 53% (48% for IS), within 1 hour in 66% (63% in IS) and within 2 hours in 70% (68% in IS). The median difference in LKWT between documented prehospital and hospital values was 0 minutes (IQR -6 to 18). The degree of discordance in LKWT did not vary with patient sex, race, or Hispanic ethnicity. Conclusions: Paramedic-documented LKWT was within 15 minutes of the final hospital documented LKWT in just over half of acute stroke EMS transports and within 1 hour in two-thirds.. As accurate LKWT determination in the field is challenging, time of symptom onset should be confirmed after hospital arrival.


Stroke ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jackie Bosch ◽  
Eva M. Lonn ◽  
Gilles R. Dagenais ◽  
Peggy Gao ◽  
Patricio Lopez-Jaramillo ◽  
...  

Background and Purpose: The HOPE-3 trial (Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation–3) found that antihypertensive therapy combined with a statin reduced first stroke among people at intermediate cardiovascular risk. We report secondary analyses of stroke outcomes by stroke subtype, predictors, treatment effects in key subgroups. Methods: Using a 2-by-2 factorial design, 12 705 participants from 21 countries with vascular risk factors but without overt cardiovascular disease were randomized to candesartan 16 mg plus hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 mg daily or placebo and to rosuvastatin 10 mg daily or placebo. The effect of the interventions on stroke subtypes was assessed. Results: Participants were 66 years old and 46% were women. Baseline blood pressure (138/82 mm Hg) was reduced by 6.0/3.0 mm Hg and LDL-C (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; 3.3 mmol/L) was reduced by 0.90 mmol/L on active treatment. During 5.6 years of follow-up, 169 strokes occurred (117 ischemic, 29 hemorrhagic, 23 undetermined). Blood pressure lowering did not significantly reduce stroke (hazard ratio [HR], 0.80 [95% CI, 0.59–1.08]), ischemic stroke (HR, 0.80 [95% CI, 0.55–1.15]), hemorrhagic stroke (HR, 0.71 [95% CI, 0.34–1.48]), or strokes of undetermined origin (HR, 0.92 [95% CI, 0.41–2.08]). Rosuvastatin significantly reduced strokes (HR, 0.70 [95% CI, 0.52–0.95]), with reductions mainly in ischemic stroke (HR, 0.53 [95% CI, 0.37–0.78]) but did not significantly affect hemorrhagic (HR, 1.22 [95% CI, 0.59–2.54]) or strokes of undetermined origin (HR, 1.29 [95% CI, 0.57–2.95]). The combination of both interventions compared with double placebo substantially and significantly reduced strokes (HR, 0.56 [95% CI, 0.36–0.87]) and ischemic strokes (HR, 0.41 [95% CI, 0.23–0.72]). Conclusions: Among people at intermediate cardiovascular risk but without overt cardiovascular disease, rosuvastatin 10 mg daily significantly reduced first stroke. Blood pressure lowering combined with rosuvastatin reduced ischemic stroke by 59%. Both therapies are safe and generally well tolerated. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT00468923.


BMC Neurology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chia-Yu Hsu ◽  
Chun-Yu Cheng ◽  
Jiann-Der Lee ◽  
Meng Lee ◽  
Bruce Ovbiagele

Abstract Objective We aim to compare the effect of long-term anti-seizure medication (ASM) monotherapy on the risk of death and new ischemic stroke in patients with post-stroke epilepsy (PSE). Patients and methods We identified all hospitalized patients (≥ 20 years) with a primary diagnosis of ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke from 2001 to 2012 using the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. The PSE cohort were defined as the stroke patients (1) who had no epilepsy and no ASMs use before the index stroke, and (2) who had epilepsy and ASMs use after 14 days from the stroke onset. The patients with PSE receiving ASM monotherapy were enrolled and were categorized into phenytoin, valproic acid, carbamazepine, and new ASM groups. We employed the Cox regression model to estimate the unadjusted and adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) with 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) of death and new ischemic stroke within 5 years across all groups, using the new ASM group as the reference. Results Of 6962 patients with PSE using ASM monotherapy, 3917 (56 %) were on phenytoin, 1623 (23 %) on valproic acid, 457 (7 %) on carbamazepine, and 965 (14 %) on new ASMs. After adjusting for confounders, compared with new ASM users, phenytoin users had a higher risk of death in 5 years (HR: 1.64; 95 % CI: 1.06–2.55). On the other hand, all ASM groups showed a similar risk of new ischemic stroke in 5 years. Conclusions Among patients with PSE on first-line monotherapy, compared to new ASMs, use of phenytoin was associated with a higher risk of death in 5 years.


2013 ◽  
Vol 169 (6) ◽  
pp. 759-765 ◽  
Author(s):  
N David Åberg ◽  
Sandra Olsson ◽  
Daniel Åberg ◽  
Katarina Jood ◽  
Tara M Stanne ◽  
...  

ObjectiveIn humans, serum IGF1 (s-IGF1) is associated with outcome after ischemic stroke (IS). Therefore variation at the IGF1 locus could also associate with both IS and s-IGF1. We investigated whether genetic variation at the IGF1 locus is associated with i) s-IGF1, ii) IS occurrence, iii) IS severity, and iv) post-stroke outcome.Design/methodsPatients (n=844; 66% males, mean age 56 years) and community controls (n=668) were included from the Sahlgrenska Academy Study on Ischemic Stroke (SAHLSIS). Post-stroke outcome was evaluated with the modified Rankin Scale at 3 and 24 months after index stroke, and baseline stroke severity with the Scandinavian Stroke Scale. s-IGF1 was determined in patients and after random selection in 40 of the controls.ResultsEleven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were selected in the IGF1 gene. In healthy controls the major allele of rs7136446 was associated with higher s-IGF1, whereas in patients no such association was found. No SNP was associated with IS, nor with stroke severity. After multivariate correction for presence of diabetes, smoking, and hypertension, the major allele of rs7136446 was associated with favorable functional outcome 24-months post-stroke (odds ratio 1.46; 95% CI 1.09–1.96).ConclusionVariation in rs7136446 of the IGF1 gene associates with post-stroke outcome in relatively young IS patients. Also, rs7136446 associates with s-IGF1 in controls but not in IS, which indicates that IS perturbs a normal genetic impact on s-IGF1 levels.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document