Diagnostic Yield of Electroencephalography When Seizure Is Suspected in Acute Ischemic Stroke

2021 ◽  
pp. 194187442110212
Author(s):  
Mohanad AlGaeed ◽  
Manjot Grewal ◽  
Prarthana Hareesh ◽  
Soha Sadeghikhah ◽  
Hai Chen ◽  
...  

Introduction: Seizures are a common complication after an ischemic stroke. Electroencephalography can assist with the diagnosis of seizures however, the diagnostic yield of its use when seizure is suspected in the setting of acute ischemic stroke is unknown. We aim to evaluate the yield and cost of EEG in the acute ischemic stroke setting. Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients admitted to a single academic tertiary care center in the United States between September 1, 2015 to November 30, 2019 with a primary diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke and who were monitored on electroencephalography (EEG) for suspected seizures (total number of 70 patients). The primary outcome was how often EEG monitoring changed clinical management defined as starting, stopping, or changing the dose of an anti-epileptic drug. Secondary analysis was estimating the cost of EEG monitoring per change in management. Results: We identified 126 patients admitted with acute ischemic stroke who underwent EEG of which 70 met all inclusion and exclusion criteria. EEG monitoring resulted in a change in management in 22 patients (31%). Predictors associated with EEG monitoring resulting in a change in management were admission to the ICU, pre-existing atrial fibrillation, and symptomatic hemorrhagic transformation. Estimated cost of EEG per change in management was $1374.96 USD. Conclusion: EEG monitoring resulted in a changed management in nearly one-third of patients admitted with acute ischemic stroke suspected of having seizures.

Stroke ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel M Oh ◽  
Daniela Markovic ◽  
Amytis Towfighi

Background: Patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) may undergo interhospital transfer (IHT) for higher level of care. Although the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act stipulates that patients should be transferred to and accepted by referral hospitals if indicated, it offers few concrete guidelines, making it vulnerable to bias. We hypothesized that (1) IHT for AIS has increased over recent years and (2) minorities, women, and those without insurance had lower odds of IHT. Methods: Using the National Inpatient Sample, adults (>18 yrs) with a primary diagnosis of AIS from 2010 to 2017 (n=770,970) were identified, corresponding to a weighted sample size of 3,798,440. Those transferred to another acute hospital were labeled IHT. Yearly rates of IHT were assessed. Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of IHT (vs. not transferred) were compared in 2014-2017 vs. 2010-2013 using a multinomial logistic model, adjusting for socioeconomic, medical, and hospital characteristics. Multinomial logistic regression was used to determine odds of IHT by race/ethnicity, sex, and insurance status, adjusting for the above characteristics. Results: From 2010 to 2017, the proportion of IHT declined from 3.2% (SE 0.2) to 2.9% (SE 0.1). Comparing IHT in 2014-2017 to 2010-2013 showed lower odds of IHT (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.88-0.99), but this difference did not remain significant in the fully adjusted model. Fully adjusted OR showed that black patients were more likely than white patients to undergo IHT (AOR 1.13, 1.07-1.20). Women were less likely than men to be transferred (AOR 0.89, 0.86-0.92). Compared to those with private insurance, those with Medicaid (AOR 0.86, 0.80-0.91), self-pay (0.64, 0.59-0.70), and no charge (0.64, 0.46-0.88) were less likely to undergo IHT. Conclusions: Adjusted odds of IHT for AIS did not change significantly. Blacks were more likely than whites to be transferred; however, women and the uninsured/underinsured were less likely to be transferred. Further studies are needed to further understand these inequities and develop interventions and policies to ensure that all individuals have equitable access to stroke care, regardless of their race, sex, or ability to pay.


Stroke ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saqib A Chaudhry ◽  
Iqra N Akhtar ◽  
Ameer E Hassan ◽  
Mohammad Rauf A Chaudhry ◽  
Mohsain Gill ◽  
...  

Background: Relatively limited information is available about trends over time in the use of endovascular treatment in patients of different ages hospitalized with acute ischemic stroke and the association between use of thrombectomy treatment and hospital outcomes in age strata. We performed this analysis to evaluate trends in the utilization of endovascular treatment in acute ischemic stroke by age strata in real-world practice. Methods: We conducted this study by identifying patients admitted with a primary diagnosis of ischemic stroke in the United States from 2007 to 2016 using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample. International Classification of Diseases, ninth revision, and tenth, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM, ICD-10-CM) codes were used to identify patients admitted for ischemic stroke and undergoing endovascular treatment. Results: Of the 4,590,533 patients admitted with ischemic stroke, 269,922 (5.88%) received intravenous thrombolytic treatment, and 51,375 (1.12%) underwent endovascular treatment. There is almost 12-fold significant increase in the use of endovascular treatment patients admitted with acute ischemic stroke between 2007 to 2016. Patients who were 75 years and older experienced a marked increase in the receipt of endovascular treatment over time (0.12% 2007; 1.91% 2016; trend p<0.0001). We observed statistically significant improvement in outcomes including minimal disability (6.3% to 18.8%; trend p<0.0001) and in hospital mortality (25.0% to 16.5%; trend p<0.0001) in patients 75 years and older treated with endovascular treatment in study period. We observed similar trend of outcomes in each of the other age-specific groups under study (<55, 55-64 and 65-74 years). Conclusions: Our findings indicate a recent increase in the use of endovascular in middle-aged and elderly patients with acute ischemic strokes. The impact of endovascular treatment on hospital outcomes was observed in each of our age strata understudy though the magnitude of absolute and relative benefit varied according to age.


Stroke ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Quanhe Yang ◽  
Xin Tong ◽  
Sallyann Coleman King ◽  
Robert K Merritt

Introduction: Emergency department visits and hospitalizations for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) declined significantly following the declaration of COVID-19 as a national emergency on March 13, 2020 in the United States. No study has examined the volume and nature of AIS hospitalizations among older adults in the U.S. amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examined the trend and compared the characteristics of Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) beneficiaries ≥65 years hospitalized with a primary AIS diagnosis in the same timeframe before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We included hospitalizations with a primary diagnosis of AIS (ICD-10 I63) among Medicare FFS beneficiaries from week 11 to 24 in 2019 and 2020. We estimated the percent reduction of AIS hospitalizations between 2019 and 2020 by age, sex, race/ethnicity, and state. We tested for difference in distribution by age group, sex and race/ethnicity between 2019 and 2020 based on χ 2 test. Results: During the 14-weeks from March 8 to June 13, 2020, AIS hospitalizations among FFS beneficiaries were reduced by 23.7% compared to weeks 11 to 24 in 2019 (March 10 to June 15) (49,607 in 2019 vs. 37,860 in 2020). A greater percent reduction in AIS hospitalizations was observed with older age (27.2% among ≥85 years vs. 20.6% among persons 65-74 years, p<0.001). The magnitude of reduction was similar between men (23.8%) and women (23.6%, p=0.791), and among non-Hispanic white (24.2%), non-Hispanic black (22.4%), Hispanic (19.3%), and other (22.4%, p=0.189). AIS hospitalization trends varied by state ranging from 1.6% in New Hampshire to 39.8% in Montana. Conclusion: Hospitalizations with a primary AIS diagnosis among Medicare FFS beneficiaries were reduced by 24% during weeks 11 to 24 of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the previous year in the United States. AIS hospitalization reductions varied substantially by state. Further study is needed to examine the long-term effects of COVID-19 pandemic on stroke outcomes.


Stroke ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ives A Valenzuela ◽  
Bradley Klein ◽  
Lauren Dunn ◽  
Robert Sorabella ◽  
Sang Myung Han ◽  
...  

Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) affects up to 20,000 people per year in the United States. Stroke is a feared complication of IE and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. We aim to identify predictors of stroke in a large sample of patients treated at a tertiary care center. Methods: A retrospective chart review was carried out using ICD9 codes for IE and cerebrovascular events in patients admitted to the New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center from 2000 to 2015. Incident stroke was ascertained if imaging demonstrated an acute infarction during the hospital visit in which endocarditis was diagnosed using Duke’s criteria. Demographics, vascular risks and ancillary data were obtained by chart review. Generalized linear models were used to obtain the risk ratio (RR) and their 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, smoking, congestive heart failure (CHF), presence of cardiac vegetations, valvular abscesses, positive blood culture, and immunosuppression. Results: The sample included 727 IE subjects (mean age 61±18, range 18-101, 62% men, 62% non-white). Twelve percent of the sample were immunosuppressed. The majority of the patient had vegetations (61%) and positive blood cultures (87%, MRSA 13%) while valvular abscess were less frequent (13%). Of the 727 patients, 13% had an acute pre-surgical stroke (10% ischemic and 3% hemorrhagic). Meanwhile, of the 314 patient who underwent surgical intervention, only 0.5% had post-surgical strokes. The risk of pre-operative ischemic stroke was higher among patients with diabetes (RR 1.7, 1.1-2.8), cardiac vegetations (RR 2.8, 1.6-5.0), and history of prior stroke (RR 1.8, 1.8-2.9) while the risk of pre-surgical hemorrhagic stroke was higher among patients with history of prior stroke (RR 4.5, 1.7-11.9). Conclusions: Prior stroke was a risk factor for ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, which suggests baseline brain vulnerability that may influence the risk of stroke in the setting of IE. Additionally, diabetes and the presence of vegetations increased the risk of ischemic stroke. Early identification of sub-populations with IE at risk of stroke may help stratify risk and test preventive interventions.


2014 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vikram Huded ◽  
RitheshR Nair ◽  
Romnesh de Souza ◽  
Devashish DVyas

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mazen J. El Sayed ◽  
Tharwat El Zahran ◽  
Hani Tamim

Background. Thrombolytic therapy (rt-PA) is approved for ischemic stroke presenting within 4.5 hours of symptoms onset. The rate of utilization of rt-PA is not well described in developing countries.Objectives. Our study examined patient characteristics and outcomes in addition to barriers to rt-PA utilization in a tertiary care center in Beirut, Lebanon.Methods. A retrospective chart review of all adult patients admitted to the emergency department during a one-year period (June 1st, 2009, to June 1st, 2010) with a final discharge diagnosis of ischemic stroke was completed. Descriptive analysis was done followed by a comparison of two groups (IV rt-PA and no IV rt-PA).Results. During the study period, 87 patients met the inclusion criteria and thus were included in the study. The mean age was found to be 71.9 years (SD = 11.8). Most patients arrived by private transport (85.1%). Weakness and loss of speech were the most common presenting signs (56.3%). Thirty-three patients (37.9%) presented within 4.5 hours of symptom onset. Nine patients (10.3%, 95% CI (5.5–18.5)) received rt-PA. The two groups (rt-PA versus non rt-PA) had similar outcomes (mortality, symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage, modified Rankin scale scores, and residual deficit at hospital discharge).Conclusion. In our setting, rt-PA utilization was higher than expected. Delayed presentation was the main barrier to rt-PA administration. Public education regarding stroke is needed to decrease time from symptoms onset to ED presentation and potentially improve outcomes further.


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