The impact of COVID-19 on ischemic stroke: A case report

Abstract BackgroundThe outbreak of a novel coronavirus since December 2019 in Wuhan, became an emergency of major international concern. As of March 5, 2020, the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic has caused 80,565 confirmed infections with 3,015 fatal cases in China. The SARS-CoV-2 outbreak is a major challenge for clinicians. In our clinic, we found a rare case that a COVID-19 patient combined with ischemic stroke.Case PresentationA 79-year-old man was admitted to the Hubei Provincial Hospital of Chinese Traditional Medicine due to right limb weakness for 1 day and slight cough for 1 week. At presentation, his body temperature was 37.3°C (99.0°F) with some moist rales. Neurological examination showed right limb weakness, and the limb muscle strength was grade 4. The left leg and arms were unaffected. In addition, runs of speech were not fluent enough with tongue deviation. Laboratory studies showed lymphopenia and eosinophilic granulocytopenia. Chest CT revealed bilateral pulmonary parenchymal ground-glass and consolidative pulmonary opacities, with a peripheral lung distribution. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) from throat swab sample was positive for SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid. This patient was treated with antiviral drugs and anti-inflammatory drugs with supportive care until his discharge. Clopidogrel (75 mg) and atorvastatin (20 mg) were administered orally to treat acute ischemic stroke. After twelve days of treatment, he can walk normally and communicate with near fluent language.ConclusionWe report an even more unusual case, a patient who was hospitalized for right limb weakness and was later diagnosed with COVID-19. Here, SARS-CoV-2 infection caused hypoxemia and excessive secretion of inflammatory cytokines, which contribute to the occurrence and development of ischemic stroke. Once COVID-19 patients show acute ischemic stroke, neurologists should cooperate with infectious disease doctors to help patients.

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Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the process and outcome of thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke

Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery ◽

10.1136/neurintsurg-2020-016177 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (7) ◽

pp. 664-668 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Bin Yang ◽

Tao Wang ◽

Jian Chen ◽

Yanfei Chen ◽

Yabing Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽

Artery Occlusion ◽

Large Artery ◽

Medical Work ◽

Protection Measures ◽

Hospital Arrival ◽

Comprehensive Stroke Center ◽

Novel Coronavirus ◽

The Impact

BackgroundThe novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is still spreading across the world. Although the pandemic has an all-round impact on medical work, the degree of its impact on endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is unclear.MethodsWe continuously included AIS patients with large artery occlusion who underwent EVT in a comprehensive stroke center before and during the Wuhan shutdown. The protected code stroke (PCS) for screening and treating AIS patients was established during the pandemic. The efficacy and safety outcomes including the rate of successful reperfusion (defined as modified Thrombolysis In Cerebral Infarction (mTICI) graded 2b or 3) and time intervals for reperfusion were compared between two groups: pre-pandemic and pandemic.ResultsA total of 55 AIS patients who received EVT were included. The baseline characteristics were comparable between the two groups. The time from hospital arrival to puncture (174 vs 125.5 min; p=0.002) and time from hospital arrival to reperfusion (213 vs 172 min; p=0.047) were significantly prolonged in the pandemic group compared with the pre-pandemic group. The rate of successful reperfusion was not significantly different between the two groups (85.7% (n=18) vs 88.2% (n=30); OR 0.971, 95% CI 0.785 to 1.203; p=1.000).ConclusionThe results of this study suggest a proper PCS algorithm which combines the COVID-19 screening and protection measures could decrease the impact of the disease on the clinical outcomes of EVT for AIS patients to the lowest extent possible during the pandemic.

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The impact of antihypertensive use in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke in patients receiving alteplase

The American Journal of Emergency Medicine ◽

10.1016/j.ajem.2021.07.037 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Megan A. Rech ◽

Elisabeth Donahey ◽

Joshua M. DeMott ◽

Laura L. Coles ◽

Gary D. Peksa

Keyword(s):

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽

The Impact

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Eosinophil-to-monocyte ratio is a potential biomarker in the prediction of functional outcome among patients with acute ischemic stroke

BMC Neuroscience ◽

10.1186/s12868-021-00610-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Shuhong Yu ◽

Yi Luo ◽

Tan Zhang ◽

Chenrong Huang ◽

Yu Fu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽

Functional Outcome ◽

Odds Ratio ◽

Poor Outcome ◽

Net Reclassification Improvement ◽

Potential Biomarker ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship ◽

Integrated Discrimination Improvement

Abstract Background It has been shown that eosinophils are decreased and monocytes are elevated in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS), but the impact of eosinophil-to-monocyte ratio (EMR) on clinical outcomes among AIS patients remains unclear. We aimed to determine the relationship between EMR on admission and 3-month poor functional outcome in AIS patients. Methods A total of 521 consecutive patients admitted to our hospital within 24 h after onset of AIS were prospectively enrolled and categorized in terms of quartiles of EMR on admission between August 2016 and September 2018. The endpoint was the poor outcome defined as modified Rankin Scale score of 3 to 6 at month 3 after admission. Results As EMR decreased, the risk of poor outcome increased (p < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that EMR was independently associated with poor outcome after adjusting potential confounders (odds ratio, 0.09; 95% CI 0.03–0.34; p = 0.0003), which is consistent with the result of EMR (quartile) as a categorical variable (odds ratio, 0.23; 95% CI 0.10–0.52; ptrend < 0.0001). A non-linear relationship was detected between EMR and poor outcome, whose point was 0.28. Subgroup analyses further confirmed these associations. The addition of EMR to conventional risk factors improved the predictive power for poor outcome (net reclassification improvement: 2.61%, p = 0.382; integrated discrimination improvement: 2.41%, p < 0.001). Conclusions EMR on admission was independently correlated with poor outcome in AIS patients, suggesting that EMR may be a potential prognostic biomarker for AIS.

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2019 novel coronavirus disease with secondary ischemic stroke: two case reports

BMC Neurology ◽

10.1186/s12883-020-02033-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Bin Fu ◽

Yun Chen ◽

Ping Li

Keyword(s):

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽

Clinical Laboratory ◽

Case Reports ◽

Small Vessel ◽

Vessel Occlusion ◽

Aged Patients ◽

Health Crisis ◽

Physical Examinations ◽

Novel Coronavirus

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic, which broke out in Wuhan in 2019, has become the global health crisis of our time. Elderly patients with certain fundamental diseases are more likely to develop severe cases. The secondary lesion following viral infection have only rarely been reported. Case presentation We here report two cases of coronavirus-infected pneumonia with acute ischemic stroke in middle-aged patients. In both COVID-19 cases, neurological physical examinations showed normal results before infection. Lymphocytopenia, accompanied by elevated cytokines and D-dimers, were found from serum clinical laboratory examination at admission. Dysarthria and limb muscle weakness are initial manifestations, occurring one week after infect-causative pathogen, SARS-CoV-2. The head CT and head/neck arterial CTA showed small-vessel occlusion. The patients were diagnosed with coronavirus diseases with secondary acute ischemic stroke. They were treated with tirofiban and followed up with daily aspirin and atorvastatin. Conclusions These cases suggested that secondary ischemic stroke, mainly manifested as small-vessel occlusion, should be considered for COVID-19 patients and diagnosed and treated promptly.

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Impact of Post-Stroke Recanalization on General and Upper Limb Functioning: A Prospective, Observational Study

Neurology International ◽

10.3390/neurolint13010005 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 46-58

Author(s):

João Paulo Branco ◽

Filipa Rocha ◽

João Sargento-Freitas ◽

Gustavo C. Santo ◽

António Freire ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Observational Study ◽

Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽

Upper Limb ◽

Functional Recovery ◽

Prospective Observational Study ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Rehabilitation Program ◽

Patient Functioning ◽

The Impact

The objective of this study is to assess the impact of recanalization (spontaneous and therapeutic) on upper limb functioning and general patient functioning after stroke. This is a prospective, observational study of patients hospitalized due to acute ischemic stroke in the territory of the middle cerebral artery (n = 98). Patients completed a comprehensive rehabilitation program and were followed-up for 24 weeks. The impact of recanalization on patient functioning was evaluated using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and Stroke Upper Limb Capacity Scale (SULCS). General and upper limb functioning improved markedly in the first three weeks after stroke. Age, gender, and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score at admission were associated with general and upper limb functioning at 12 weeks. Successful recanalization was associated with better functioning. Among patients who underwent therapeutic recanalization, NIHSS scores ≥16.5 indicate lower general functioning at 12 weeks (sensibility = 72.4%; specificity = 78.6%) and NIHSS scores ≥13.5 indicate no hand functioning at 12 weeks (sensibility = 83.8%; specificity = 76.5%). Recanalization, either spontaneous or therapeutic, has a positive impact on patient functioning after acute ischemic stroke. Functional recovery occurs mostly within the first 12 weeks after stroke, with greater functional gains among patients with successful recanalization. Higher NIHSS scores at admission are associated with worse functional recovery.

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Abstract P119: Factors Influencing Door to Needle Administration for Acute Stroke Patients in the Emergency Department

Stroke ◽

10.1161/str.52.suppl_1.p119 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 52 (Suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Nicolle W Davis ◽

Meghan Bailey ◽

Natalie Buchwald ◽

Amreen Farooqui ◽

Anna Khanna

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Acute Stroke ◽

Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽

Patient Outcomes ◽

Time Of Day ◽

Stroke Patients ◽

Acute Stroke Care ◽

The Impact ◽

Iv Tpa

Background/Objective: There is growing importance on discovering factors that delay time to intervention for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients, as rapid intervention remains essential for better patient outcomes. The management of these patients involves a multidisciplinary effort and quality improvement initiatives to safely increase treatment with intravenous thrombolytic (IV tPa). The objective of this pilot is to evaluate factors of acute stroke care in the emergency department (ED) and the impact they have on IV tPa administration. Methods: A sample of 89 acute ischemic stroke patients that received IV tPa from a single academic medical institution was selected for retrospective analysis. System characteristics (presence of a stroke nurse and time of day) and patient characteristics (mode of arrival and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score (NIHSS) on arrival) were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression to address the study question. Results: The mean door to needle time is 53.74 minutes ( + 38.06) with 74.2% of patients arriving to the ED via emergency medical services (EMS) and 25.8% having a stroke nurse present during IV tPa administration. Mode of arrival ( p = .001) and having a stroke nurse present ( p = .022) are significant predictors of door to needle time in the emergency department (ED). Conclusion: While many factors can influence door to needle times in the ED, we did not find NIHSS on arrival or time of day to be significant factors. Patients arriving to the ED by personal vehicle will have a significant delay in IV tPa administration, therefore emphasizing the importance of using EMS. Perhaps more importantly, collaborative efforts including the addition of a specialized stroke nurse significantly decreased time to IV tPa administration for AIS patients. With this dedicated role, accelerated triage and more effective management of AIS patients is accomplished, leading to decreased intervention times and potentially improving patient outcomes.

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Abstract 1122‐000034: Systematic CT‐Perfusion acquisition in All Suspected Stroke Patients Increases Vascular Occlusion Detection and Thrombectomy Rates

Stroke: Vascular and Interventional Neurology ◽

10.1161/svin.01.suppl_1.000034 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 1 (S1) ◽

Author(s):

Marta Olive‐Gadea ◽

Manuel Requena ◽

Facundo Diaz ◽

Alvaro Garcia‐Tornel ◽

Marta Rubiera ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽

Clinical Symptoms ◽

Ct Perfusion ◽

False Negative ◽

False Negative Rate ◽

Vascular Occlusion ◽

Stroke Patients ◽

Imaging Protocols ◽

The Impact

Introduction : In acute ischemic stroke patients, current guidelines recommend noninvasive vascular imaging to identify intracranial vessel occlusions (VO) that may benefit from endovascular treatment (EVT). However, VO can be missed in CT angiography (CTA) readings. We aim to evaluate the impact of consistently including CT perfusion (CTP) in admission stroke imaging protocols on VO diagnosis and EVT rates. Methods : We included patients with a suspected acute ischemic stroke that underwent urgent non‐contrast CT, CTA and CTP from April to October 2020. Hypoperfusion areas defined by Tmax>6s delay (RAPID software), congruent with the clinical symptoms and a vascular territory, were considered due to a VO (CTP‐VO). Cases in which mechanical thrombectomy was performed were defined as therapeutically relevant VO (EVT‐VO). For patients that received EVT, site of VO according to digital subtraction angiography was recorded. Two experienced neuroradiologists blinded to CTP but not to clinical symptoms, retrospectively evaluated NCCT and CTA to identify intracranial VO (CTA‐VO). We analyzed CTA‐VO sensitivity and specificity at detecting CTP‐VO and EVT‐VO respecitvely. We performed a logistic regression to test the association of Tmax>6s volumes with CTA‐VO identification and indication of EVT. Results : Of the 338 patients included in the analysis, 157 (46.5%) presented a CTP‐VO, (median Tmax>6s: 73 [29‐127] ml). CTA‐VO was identified in 83 (24.5%) of the cases. Overall CTA‐VO sensitivity for the detection of CTP‐VO was 50.3% and specificity was 97.8%. Higher hypoperfusion volume was associated with an increased CTA‐VO detection, with an odds ratio of 1.03 (95% confidence interval 1.02‐1.04) (figure). DSA was indicated in 107 patients; in 4 of them no EVT was attempted due to recanalization or a too distal VO in the first angiographic run. EVT was performed in 103 patients (30.5%. Tmax>6s: 102 [63‐160] ml), representing 65.6% of all CTP‐VO. Overall CTA‐VO sensitivity for the detection of EVT‐VO was 69.9%. The CTA‐VO sensitivity for detecting patients with indication of EVT according to clinical guidelines was as follows: 91.7% for ICA occlusions and 84.4% for M1‐MCA occlusions. For all other occlusion sites that received EVT, the CTA‐VO sensitivity was 36.1%. The overall specificity was 95.3%. Among patients who received EVT, CTA‐VO was not detected in 31 cases, resulting in a false negative rate of 30.1%. False negative CTA‐VO cases had lower Tmax>6s volumes (69[46‐99.5] vs 126[84‐169.5]ml, p<0.001) and lower NIHSS (13[8.5‐16] vs 17[14‐21], p<0.001). Conclusions : Systematically including CTP perfusion in the acute stroke admission imaging protocols may increase the diagnosis of VO and rate of EVT.

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The Impact of Post-contrast Acute Kidney Injury on In-hospital Mortality After Endovascular Thrombectomy in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke

Frontiers in Neurology ◽

10.3389/fneur.2021.665614 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Mona Laible ◽

Ekkehart Jenetzky ◽

Markus Alfred Möhlenbruch ◽

Martin Bendszus ◽

Peter Arthur Ringleb ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Acute Kidney Injury ◽

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Hospital Mortality ◽

Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽

Kidney Injury ◽

Stroke Severity ◽

Post Contrast ◽

Endovascular Thrombectomy ◽

Symptomatic Intracerebral Hemorrhage ◽

The Impact

Background and Purpose: Clinical outcome and mortality after endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) in patients with ischemic stroke are commonly assessed after 3 months. In patients with acute kidney injury (AKI), unfavorable results for 3-month mortality have been reported. However, data on the in-hospital mortality after EVT in this population are sparse. In the present study, we assessed whether AKI impacts in-hospital and 3-month mortality in patients undergoing EVT.Materials and Methods: From a prospectively recruiting database, consecutive acute ischemic stroke patients receiving EVT between 2010 and 2018 due to acute large vessel occlusion were included. Post-contrast AKI (PC-AKI) was defined as an increase of baseline creatinine of ≥0.5 mg/dL or >25% within 48 h after the first measurement at admission. Adjusting for potential confounders, associations between PC-AKI and mortality after stroke were tested in univariate and multivariate logistic regression models.Results: One thousand one hundred sixty-nine patients were included; 166 of them (14.2%) died during the acute hospital stay. Criteria for PC-AKI were met by 29 patients (2.5%). Presence of PC-AKI was associated with a significantly higher risk of in-hospital mortality in multivariate analysis [odds ratio (OR) = 2.87, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.16–7.13, p = 0.023]. Furthermore, factors associated with in-hospital mortality encompassed higher age (OR = 1.03, 95% CI = 1.01–1.04, p = 0.002), stroke severity (OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.03–1.08, p < 0.001), symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (OR = 3.20, 95% CI = 1.69–6.04, p < 0.001), posterior circulation stroke (OR = 2.85, 95% CI = 1.72–4.71, p < 0.001), and failed recanalization (OR = 2.00, 95% CI = 1.35–3.00, p = 0.001).Conclusion: PC-AKI is rare after EVT but represents an important risk factor for in-hospital mortality and for mortality within 3 months after hospital discharge. Preventing PC-AKI after EVT may represent an important and potentially lifesaving effort in future daily clinical practice.

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The impact of leptomeningeal collaterals in acute ischemic stroke

10.21203/rs.3.rs-36392/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Nida Fatima ◽

Maher Saqqur ◽

Ashfaq Shuaib

Keyword(s):

Blood Flow ◽

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Clinical Outcome ◽

Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Random Effect ◽

Random Effect Model ◽

Mesh Terms ◽

Favorable Clinical Outcome ◽

The Impact

Abstract Objectives: Leptomeningeal collaterals provide an alternate pathway to maintain cerebral blood flow in stroke to prevent ischemia, but their role in predicting outcome is still unclear. So, our study aims at assessing the significance of collateral blood flow (CBF) in acute stroke. Methods: Electronic databases were searched under different MeSH terms from Jan 2000 to Feb 2019. Studies were included if there was available data on good and poor CBF in acute ischemic stroke (AIS). The clinical outcomes included were modified rankin scale (mRS), recanalization, mortality, and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) at 90 days. Data was analyzed using random-effect model.Results: A total of 47 studies with 8,194 patients were included. Pooled meta-analysis revealed that there exist 2-fold higher likelihood of favorable clinical outcome (mRS≤2) at 90 days with good CBF compared with poor CBF (RR: 2.27; 95%CI: 1.94-2.65; p<0.00001) irrespective of the thrombolytic therapy [RR with IVT: 2.90; 95%CI: 2.14-3.94; p<0.00001, and RR with IAT/EVT: 1.99; 95% CI: 1.55-2.55; p<0.00001]. Moreover, there exists 1-fold higher probability of successful recanalization with good CBF (RR: 1.31; 95% CI: 1.15-1.49; p<0.00001). However, there was 54% and 64% lower risk of sICH and mortality respectively in patients with good CBF in AIS (p<0.00001).Conclusions: The relative risk of favorable clinical outcome is more in patients with good pretreatment CBF. This could be explained due to better chances of recanalization, combined with lesser risk of intracerebral hemorrhage in good CBF status.

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Sex Differences in Ischemic Stroke Outcomes in Patients With Pulmonary Hypertension

Journal of the American Heart Association ◽

10.1161/jaha.120.019341 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Tiberiu A. Pana ◽

Dana K. Dawson ◽

Mohamed O. Mohamed ◽

Fiona Murray ◽

David L. Fischman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pulmonary Hypertension ◽

Sex Differences ◽

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Hospital Mortality ◽

Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽

Systemic Hypertension ◽

Stroke Outcomes ◽

Female Patients ◽

Prolonged Hospitalization ◽

The Impact

Background The association between systemic hypertension and cerebrovascular disease is well documented. However, the impact of pulmonary hypertension (PH) on acute ischemic stroke outcomes is unknown despite PH being recognized as a risk factor for acute ischemic stroke. We aimed to determine the association between PH and adverse in‐hospital outcomes after acute ischemic stroke, as well as whether there are sex differences in this association. Methods and Results Acute ischemic stroke admissions from the US National Inpatient Sample between October 2015 and December 2017 were included. The relationship between PH and outcomes (mortality, prolonged hospitalization >4 days, and routine home discharge) was analyzed using logistic regressions adjusting for demographics, comorbidities, and revascularization therapies. Interaction terms between PH and sex and age groups were also included. A total of 221 249 records representative of 1 106 045 admissions were included; 2.9% of patients had co‐morbid PH, and 35.34% of those were male. PH was not associated with in‐hospital mortality (odds ratio [OR], 0.96; 95% CI, 0.86–1.09) but was associated with increased odds of prolonged hospitalization (OR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.09–1.22) and decreased odds of routine discharge (OR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.81–0.94) for both sexes. Older patients with PH were significantly less likely to be discharged routinely ( P =0.028) than their younger counterparts. Compared with female patients with PH, men were 31% more likely to die in hospital ( P =0.024). Conclusions PH was not significantly associated with in‐hospital mortality but was associated with prolonged hospitalization and adverse discharge status. Male patients with PH were more likely to die in hospital than female patients.

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