scholarly journals Short-term outcomes of Chinese transient ischaemic attack patients in an Emergency department in Hong Kong: Result of management with an agreed protocol with neurologists

2021 ◽  
pp. 102490792110043
Author(s):  
Simon Lai Hong Chiu ◽  
William Cheung Lun Wong ◽  
Ellen Lok Man Yu

Introduction: Emergency department management of transient ischaemic attack varies from admission for all to outpatient referral. We studied the short-term outcomes of transient ischaemic attack managed with an agreed protocol. Predictors of stroke can be different for Asians and non-Asians. ABCD2 as initial triage of transient ischaemic attack is debatable. The predictive ability of ABCD2 score was studied as well. Methods: This was a prospective observational study with consecutive subject recruitment in Emergency department. All transient ischaemic attacks were admitted, hard and e-records of Emergency department, transient ischaemic attack clinic, Medical and Neurosurgical department and general follow-ups in Hospital Authority hospitals were studied up to 1 year. Stroke-day was measured from symptom-onset to time-of-stroke. Results: In 18-month period, 124 patients were recruited. The median onset-to-door time was 3.5 h. All computed tomography brain positive findings, except one subdural haematoma, were ischaemic in origin. Six strokes, all disabling, recurred within 90 days, three on day 1–3, two died in 6 months. The stroke risks at 2, 7, 90 days and 1 year were 1.61%, 3.23%, 4.84% and 4.84%, respectively. No significant trend was observed in stroke risk across ABCD2 scores ( p = 0.783) with area under the curve of 0.537 (95% confidence interval = 0.380–0.694; p = 0.762). The short-term stroke risk was associated with atrial fibrillation ( p = 0.002). The median Emergency Medicine ward length of stay was 1.33 days. Conclusion: In our Emergency department–based management, the short-term stroke risk of transient ischaemic attack is low, and the predictivity of ABCD2 score in risk stratification cannot be validated. Stroke recurrences were associated with atrial fibrillation. A low ABCD2 could be falsely reassuring. As half of the strokes recurred very early, we recommend admission in the hyperacute phase.

BMJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. n49
Author(s):  
Jeffrey J Perry ◽  
Marco L A Sivilotti ◽  
Marcel Émond ◽  
Ian G Stiell ◽  
Grant Stotts ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective To validate the previously derived Canadian TIA Score to stratify subsequent stroke risk in a new cohort of emergency department patients with transient ischaemic attack. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting 13 Canadian emergency departments over five years. Participants 7607 consecutively enrolled adult patients attending the emergency department with transient ischaemic attack or minor stroke. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was subsequent stroke or carotid endarterectomy/carotid artery stenting within seven days. The secondary outcome was subsequent stroke within seven days (with or without carotid endarterectomy/carotid artery stenting). Telephone follow-up used the validated Questionnaire for Verifying Stroke Free Status at seven and 90 days. All outcomes were adjudicated by panels of three stroke experts, blinded to the index emergency department visit. Results Of the 7607 patients, 108 (1.4%) had a subsequent stroke within seven days, 83 (1.1%) had carotid endarterectomy/carotid artery stenting within seven days, and nine had both. The Canadian TIA Score stratified the risk of stroke, carotid endarterectomy/carotid artery stenting, or both within seven days as low (risk ≤0.5%; interval likelihood ratio 0.20, 95% confidence interval 0.09 to 0.44), medium (risk 2.3%; interval likelihood ratio 0.94, 0.85 to 1.04), and high (risk 5.9% interval likelihood ratio 2.56, 2.02 to 3.25) more accurately (area under the curve 0.70, 95% confidence interval 0.66 to 0.73) than did the ABCD2 (0.60, 0.55 to 0.64) or ABCD2i (0.64, 0.59 to 0.68). Results were similar for subsequent stroke regardless of carotid endarterectomy/carotid artery stenting within seven days. Conclusion The Canadian TIA Score stratifies patients’ seven day risk for stroke, with or without carotid endarterectomy/carotid artery stenting, and is now ready for clinical use. Incorporating this validated risk estimate into management plans should improve early decision making at the index emergency visit regarding benefits of hospital admission, timing of investigations, and prioritisation of specialist referral.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 220-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony S Kim ◽  
J Donald Easton

Stroke symptoms can be unsettling, even when symptoms resolve, but focusing on stroke prevention can be empowering provided that effective interventions for appropriate patient populations are available. Current options include interventions for symptomatic carotid artery stenosis, anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation, high-dose statins, new oral anticoagulants, new developments in atrial fibrillation detection, and new therapeutics are in development. For antiplatelet therapy, aspirin monotherapy is effective but dual antiplatelet therapy with the combination of aspirin and clopidogrel increases hemorrhage risks over the long term that outweigh potential benefits. In the short term though, both the Clopidogrel in High-Risk Patients with Acute Nondisabling Cerebrovascular Events (CHANCE) and Platelet-Oriented Inhibition in New TIA and Minor Ischemic Stroke (POINT) trials have shown a benefit of short-term dual-antiplatelet therapy, though the increased major hemorrhage risk seen in POINT could justify applying dual-antiplatelet therapy to just the first 21 days. Furthermore, since clopidogrel is a prodrug that must be metabolized to have antiplatelet activity, it is not surprising that the treatment effect in CHANCE was limited to patients who were not carriers of loss-of-function alleles for clopidogrel metabolism. Ticagrelor, an antiplatelet agent which failed to meet its primary endpoint as monotherapy compared to aspirin in the Acute Stroke or Transient Ischaemic Attack Treated with Aspirin or Ticagrelor and Patient Outcomes (SOCRATES) trial, is currently being tested as combination therapy with aspirin compared to aspirin alone in Acute Stroke or Transient Ischaemic Attack Treated With Ticagrelor and ASA for Prevention of Stroke and Death (THALES). These developments along with improvements to the infrastructure to perform rapid evaluations and to apply intensive secondary stroke prevention interventions hold continued promise for the future.


CJEM ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (S1) ◽  
pp. S109-S110
Author(s):  
T. Nikel ◽  
S.W. Kirkland ◽  
S. Campbell ◽  
B.H. Rowe

Introduction: Acute atrial fibrillation or flutter (AFF) is the most common dysrhythmia managed in the emergency department (ED). A key component of managing AFF in the ED is the prevention of stroke. Predictive indices (e.g., CHADS2 , HAS-BLED) should be used to assess each patient’s risk of stroke and bleeding to determine the appropriate anticoagulation therapy. The frequency of use of these predictive indices in the emergency department to determine appropriate anticoagulation therapy remains unclear. This systematic review is designed to examine the use of risk scores in the ED to determine the management of patients presenting to the ED for atrial fibrillation and flutter. Methods: An extensive search of eight electronic databases and grey literature was conducted. Quasi-experimental studies were eligible for inclusion. Studies had to report on the ED management of adult patients presenting with AFF to be included. Two independent reviewers judged the relevance, inclusion, and risk of bias of the studies. Individual and pooled statistics were calculated as odds ratios (OR) with 95% CI using a random effects model and heterogeneity (I2) was reported. Results: From 1,648 citations, 37 studies were included in this review. Heterogeneity was very high, precluding pooling. Only one of the included studies documented the use of CHADS2 scores by attending physicians; while no studies documented the use of HAS-BLED. There was variability in the ED management strategies of AFF. The utilization of rhythm control in the treatment of AFF ranged considerable (OR: 0.04-9.84) in comparison to rate control. Of the 17 studies reporting cardioversion approaches, chemical (9 {53%}) cardioversion was the most common management strategy of AFF. Conclusion: Our results suggests that either few physicians are documenting stroke risk scores in adult patients with AFF, or that research studies assessing ED management of AFF are not reporting scores documented by the attending physicians. Future research needs to examine the use of stroke risk scores to determine the optimal and appropriate care for patients.


2020 ◽  
Vol 91 (8) ◽  
pp. 840-845 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gargi Banerjee ◽  
Duncan Wilson ◽  
Gareth Ambler ◽  
Isabel Charlotte Hostettler ◽  
Clare Shakeshaft ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo evaluate the influence of intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) location on stroke outcomes.MethodsWe included patients recruited to a UK hospital-based, multicentre observational study of adults with imaging confirmed spontaneous ICH. The outcomes of interest were occurrence of a cerebral ischaemic event (either stroke or transient ischaemic attack) or a further ICH following study entry. Haematoma location was classified as lobar or non-lobar.ResultsAll 1094 patients recruited to the CROMIS-2 (Clinical Relevance of Microbleeds in Stroke) ICH study were included (mean age 73.3 years; 57.4% male). There were 45 recurrent ICH events (absolute event rate (AER) 1.88 per 100 patient-years); 35 in patients presenting with lobar ICH (n=447, AER 3.77 per 100 patient-years); and 9 in patients presenting with non-lobar ICH (n=580, AER 0.69 per 100 patient-years). Multivariable Cox regression found that lobar ICH was associated with ICH recurrence (HR 8.96, 95% CI 3.36 to 23.87, p<0.0001); similar results were found in multivariable completing risk analyses. There were 70 cerebral ischaemic events (AER 2.93 per 100 patient-years); 29 in patients presenting with lobar ICH (AER 3.12 per 100 patient-years); and 39 in patients with non-lobar ICH (AER 2.97 per 100 patient-years). Multivariable Cox regression found no association with ICH location (HR 1.13, 95% CI 0.66 to 1.92, p=0.659). Similar results were seen in completing risk analyses.ConclusionsIn ICH survivors, lobar ICH location was associated with a higher risk of recurrent ICH events than non-lobar ICH; ICH location did not influence risk of subsequent ischaemic events.Trial registration numberNCT02513316.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Huang ◽  
SL. Wu ◽  
YM. Xue ◽  
HW. Fei ◽  
QW. Lin ◽  
...  

The main mechanism of the CHADS2and CHA2DS2-VASc scores to predict stroke in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) is still controversial. We evaluated the association of the CHADS2and CHA2DS2-VASc scores with left atrial thrombus (LAT) as detected by transesophageal echocardiographic (TEE) and compared the predictive ability of these risk stratification schemes with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Data from 2,695 consecutive NVAF patients in whom TEE was performed for screening LAT from July 2007 to February 2014 were analyzed. Only 3% of the subjects had LAT. Presence of LAT was not significantly associated with either CHADS2  (P=0.07)or CHA2DS2-VASc score(P=0.12). The area under the curve (AUC) concerning LAT prediction using CHADS2and CHA2DS2-VASc was 0.574 and 0.569, respectively. A composition model includes previous stroke or transient ischemic attack, nonparoxysmal AF, moderate to severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction, left atrial enlargement, and cardiomyopathy which improved the discrimination significantly (AUC = 0.743). In our cohort, both CHADS2and CHA2DS2-VASc scores were of limited value for predicting LAT in patients with NVAF. This questions the CHADS2/CHA2DS2-VASc score predicting stroke mainly through the mechanism of cardiogenic embolism. A scoring scheme combining clinical and echocardiographic parameters may better predict LAT as a surrogate for cardioembolic risk in NVAF patients.


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