scholarly journals Clinical Outcomes of Thrombolytic Therapy in Patients with Mild Stroke: Single-Center Experience in a Tertiary Care Institution

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hasan Karadeli ◽  
Ruken Simsekoglu
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Thrombolytic Therapy ◽  
Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Intravenous Thrombolysis ◽  
Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Maximum Delay ◽  
Mild Stroke ◽  
Iv Tpa

Objective: The term ‘mild stroke’ is used to describe stroke patients with a NIHSS score of 0 to 6. There is still no clear decision regarding the application of iv recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (iv-tPA) to patients who is admitted with an acute ischemic stroke and is in the mild stroke category. In our study, we aimed to analyze the data of patients who applied to our stroke center with an acute mild stroke clinic and received iv-tPA treatment and their three-month follow-up. Methods: A total of 47 (age 69.1 ± 14.1, 28 female) mild stroke patients were included out of 350 patients receiving thrombolytic therapy. Intravenous thrombolysis was initiated with a maximum delay of 4.5 hours in all patients. Patients had a NIHS score less than 6. NIHSS scores immediately before starting thrombolytic therapy and scores 24 hours after treatment were recorded. Modified Rankin Scale scores (mRS) at admission, 1 and 3 months were recorded. Results: NIHSS scores of the patients who received tPA decreased significantly after the treatment (p = 0.001). The patients’ 1st and 3rd month mRS scores were statistically significantly decreased according to the mRS scores when they entered the treatment (p = 0.001). Conclusions: This study highlights the efficacy of iv-tPA in acute ischemic stroke patients with mild symptoms and demonstrates the low risk profile of this therapy.

scholarly journals Flexible Versus Rigid Methods Of Intravenous Thrombolysis In Iran

2017 ◽  
pp. 6
Author(s):  
Kavian Ghandehari
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Intravenous Thrombolysis ◽  
Recent Decade ◽  
Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator ◽  
Limiting Factor ◽  
Standard Protocol ◽  
Exclusion Criteria ◽  
Symptomatic Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Thrombolysis with administration of intravenous (IV) recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) has been performed in some tertiary care hospitals in Iran in recent decade. Mininstery of Health and Medical Education of Iran approved a new management strategy which covers the cost of Alteplase since 2015. This is a great advance in increasing chance for Iranian stroke patients to get the treatment. Delay in performing triage and CT and laboratory tests is another limiting factor which can be decreased by defining special team members for thrombolysis. Most of the Iranian neurologists are not expert for performing the management. This limitation can be managed by continous thrombolysis work shops. However many of the Neurologists may not be interested to do the thrombolysis due to its risks and lack of financial benefits for responsible doctor.  Most of the contraindications for thrombolysis with tPA originated as exclusion criteria in famous clinical trials. These were derived from expert consensus for the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) trial. Despite the fact that the safety and efficacy of IV rtPA has been repeatedly confirmed in large international observational studies over the past 20 years, most patients with acute ischemic stroke  still do not receive thrombolytic treatment. Some of the original exclusion criteria have proven to be unnecessarily restrictive in real-world clinical practice. It has been suggested that application of relaxed exclusion criteria might increase the IV thrombolysis rate up to 20% with comparable outcomes to thrombolysis with more conventional criteria. We review the absolute and relative contraindications to IV rtPA for acute ischemic stroke, discussing the underlying rationale and evidence supporting these exclusion criteria. There are two therapeutic strategies for selecting the contraindications and exclusion criteria. Flexible method is ignoring some absolute or partial exclusion critera as illustrated above. This method will increase the probability of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage and death and may increase  numbers of legal condemnations for treating physician. Rigid method is prohibition of violations from standard protocols of thrombolysis which decreases both numbers of managed patients and thrombolysis contraindications. Physicians who prefer the first therapeutic strategy refer to data of published articles and guidelines of American and European stroke societies. There are two points of view; first, the Iranian neurologists do not have thrombolysis experience as well as western neurologusts. For instance very limited number of Iranian neurologists have enough experience for detection of ASPECT score. Second, due to some social factors number of legal condemnations  due to medical malpractice has been hugely increased in recent two decades in Iran. Based on these points second strategy is more wise for Iranian neurologists. The speaker has made a standard protocol of thrombolysis based on international gudelines and his experience. This standard protocol which is designed according to the rigid method is available by search in Google engine and is provided in Persian language.  

Abstract 122: Quality of Care for Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke as a Function of Hospital Intravenous Thrombolysis With Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator Capability: Insights From China National Stroke Registry II

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenzhen Rao ◽  
Zixiao Li ◽  
Hongqiu Gu ◽  
Yilong Wang ◽  
Yongjun Wang
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Intravenous Thrombolysis ◽  
Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator ◽  
Stroke Care ◽  
Care Quality ◽  
Composite Score ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Stroke Registry

Background: Intravenous Thrombolysis with Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator (rt-PA) availability at Chinese hospitals varies and may affect care quality for acute ischemic stroke patients. Limited research has shown whether there were differences in quality of care at China National Stroke Registry (CNSR II) hospitals based on rt-PA capability. Methods: For acute ischemic stroke patients admitted to CNSR II hospitals between 2012 and 2013, care quality at hospitals with or without Intravenous rt-PA capability was examined by evaluating conformity with performance and quality measures. The primary outcome was guideline-concordant care, defined as compliance with 10 predefined individual guideline-recommended performance metrics and composite score. A composite score was defined as the total number of interventions actually performed among eligible patients divided by the total number of recommended interventions among eligible patients. Propensity score matching was used to balance the baseline characteristics. We used cox model with shared frailty model and logistic regression with generalized estimating equation to compare the relationship between hospitals with rt-PA capability and hospitals without rt-PA on quality measures. Results: This study included 19604 acute ischemic stroke patients admitted to 219 CNSR II hospitals. Before matching, there were 7928 patients admitted to 86 (40.4%) hospitals with rt-PA capability and 11676 patients admitted to 133 (59.6%) hospitals without rt-PA capability. After matching, 7606 pairs of patients in rt-PA-capable hospitals and rt-PA-incapable hospitals were analyzed. Before matching, the composite score of guideline-concordant process of care was higher at hospitals with rt-PA capability than hospitals without rt-PA capability (74% versus 73%, P=0.0126). Hospitals with rt-PA capability were more likely to perform deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis within 48 hours of admission, dysphagia screening, assessment or receiving of rehabilitation, discharge antithrombotic, anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation and medications for lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) ≥100mg/dL. But hospitals with rt-PA capability were less likely to perform antithrombotic medication within 48 hours of admission and hypoglycemic therapy at discharge for patients with diabetes. After matching, differences of stroke care quality between hospitals with rt-PA capability and without rt-PA capability still exist after adjusting covariates. Conclusions: The CNSR II hospitals were associated with better performance in some of the hospitals but not all of them. The difference in conformity between rt-PA-capable hospitals and rt-PA-incapable hospitals was modest for performance measures of stroke care. However, more room for improvement still exists in key quality performance measures and further studies should be explored.

Abstract 2268: Trends In Reasons For Non-eligibility For tPA

Stroke ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Tong ◽  
Mary G George
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Acute Stroke ◽  
Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Advanced Age ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Rapid Improvement ◽  
Nihss Score ◽  
Mild Stroke ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Iv Tpa

Background: Use of IV tPA has increased over time, as has the adherence to the NQF endorsed performance measure for receipt of IV tPA within 3 hours. Little is known about trends in the reasons for patient ineligibility for IV tPA. This study examines trends in reasons for not providing IV tPA over time and by race and gender among acute ischemic stroke patients in the Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Registry (PCNASR), a quality improvement program for acute stroke implemented by state health departments. Methods: There were 13,164 PCNASR patients enrolled from 2008- 2010 with a clinical diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke with documentation of LKW and who arrived within 2 hours of LKW. Cochran-Armitage tests were used to test for trend on accepted reasons for not providing IV tPA within 3 hours of time last known well (LKW). Chi-square tests were used to test for differences among reasons between men and women and between non-Hispanic whites and minorities. Multiple reasons for not giving tPA could be selected. Results: Among 13,164 acute ischemic patients admitted between 2008 and 2010 with documentation of LKW and who arrived within 2 hours of LKW, 3781 (28.7%) received IV tPA, 7284 (55.3%) had documented reasons for not receiving IV tPA, and 2099 (16.0%) did not receive IV tPA. Contraindications to IV tPA, advanced age, rapid improvement and inability to determine eligibility increased over time. Mild stroke decreased over time. Conditions with warning, advanced age, limited life expectancy and family refusal were more common in women; mild stroke and rapid improvement were more common in men. Contraindications were more common in minorities; advanced age, mild stroke and rapid improvement, and family refusal were more common in non-Hispanic whites. When advanced age was selected, 46.6% of patients were over age 90 and 3.4% were under age 80. When stroke too mild was selected, 44.8% of patients had missing NIHSS scores, 42.1% of scores were 0-4, 8.8% were 5-9, and 4.3% were ≥ 10. The three most common reasons for not providing tPA were rapid improvement (40.9%), mild stroke (33.0%), and contraindications (29.2%) in 2010. Conclusions: More than half of ischemic stroke patients arriving within 2 hours of LKW were ineligible to receive IV tPA. There was little use of advanced age for patients under age 80. Documentation of stroke too mild was not substantiated by an NIHSS score in nearly half of patients. Better documentation of NIHSS score should be provided.

scholarly journals Intravenous Thrombolysis and Endovascular Thrombectomy in Acute Ischemic Stroke with Minor Symptom

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-18
Author(s):  
Dae-Hyun Kim
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Recurrent Stroke ◽  
Intravenous Thrombolysis ◽  
Treatment Decision ◽  
Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator ◽  
Large Artery ◽  
Vessel Occlusion ◽  
Endovascular Thrombectomy ◽  
Mild Stroke

More than 50% of all patients with ischemic stroke initially present with mild symptoms. Despite the mild clinical presentation, a high percentage of these patients develop stroke progression with consequent disability, recurrent stroke, or death at follow-up. Intravenous thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator within 4.5 hours has been proven to be an effective treatment for acute ischemic stroke, but the risk-benefit ratio of this therapeutic approach remains still unclear in patients with mild stroke. Many patients with mild stroke are frequently excluded from thrombolysis. Large artery occlusion is an important predictor of early neurological deterioration or poor outcomes in patients with mild ischemic stroke. However, current guidelines do not recommend endovascular thrombectomy in patients with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score of <6 points. Some previous retrospective cohort studies have reported that endovascular thrombectomy showed promising results in cases of acute mild ischemic stroke with large vessel occlusion. Treatment decisions in patients with mild ischemic stroke should be individualized depending on clinical and radiological features. In this review, we discuss the prognosis of mild strokes, efficacy of intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular thrombectomy, and the role of neurovascular imaging in treatment decision making in this patient population.

Association of admission leukocyte count with clinical outcomes in acute ischemic stroke patients undergoing intravenous thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Chen ◽  
Fu-Liang Zhang ◽  
Shan Lv ◽  
Hang Jin ◽  
Yun Luo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Plasminogen Activator ◽  
Tissue Plasminogen Activator ◽  
Leukocyte Count ◽  
Intravenous Thrombolysis ◽  
Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator ◽  
Functional Independence ◽  
Tissue Plasminogen ◽  
Poor Outcomes

Objective:: Increased leukocyte count are positively associated with poor outcomes and all-cause mortality in coronary heart disease, cancer, and ischemic stroke. The role of leukocyte count in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) remains important. We aimed to investigate the association between admission leukocyte count before thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) and 3-month outcomes in AIS patients. Methods:: This retrospective study included consecutive AIS patients who received intravenous (IV) rt-PA within 4.5 h of symptom onset between January 2016 and December 2018. We assessed outcomes including short-term hemorrhagic transformation (HT), 3-month mortality, and functional independence (modified Rankin Scale [mRS] score of 0–2 or 0–1). Results:: Among 579 patients who received IV rt-PA, 77 (13.3%) exhibited HT at 24 h, 43 (7.4%) died within 3 months, and 211 (36.4%) exhibited functional independence (mRS score: 0–2). Multivariable logistic regression revealed admission leukocyte count as an independent predictor of good and excellent outcomes at 3 months. Each 1-point increase in admission leukocyte count increased the odds of poor outcomes at 3 months by 7.6% (mRS score: 3–6, odds ratio (OR): 1.076, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.003–1.154, p=0.041) and 7.8% (mRS score: 2–6, OR: 1.078, 95% CI: 1.006–1.154, p=0.033). Multivariable regression analysis revealed no association between HT and 3-month mortality. Admission neutrophil and lymphocyte count were not associated with 3-month functional outcomes or 3-month mortality. Conclusion:: Lower admission leukocyte count independently predicts good and excellent outcomes at 3 months in AIS patients undergoing rt-PA treatment.

scholarly journals Management of acute ischemic stroke in patients with COVID-19 infection: Report of an international panel

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 540-554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adnan I Qureshi ◽  
Foad Abd-Allah ◽  
Fahmi Al-Senani ◽  
Emrah Aytac ◽  
Afshin Borhani-Haghighi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Intravenous Thrombolysis ◽  
Adult Patients ◽  
World Health ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
International Panel ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Tract Infections

Background and purpose On 11 March 2020, World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 infection a pandemic. The risk of ischemic stroke may be higher in patients with COVID-19 infection similar to those with other respiratory tract infections. We present a comprehensive set of practice implications in a single document for clinicians caring for adult patients with acute ischemic stroke with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infection. Methods The practice implications were prepared after review of data to reach the consensus among stroke experts from 18 countries. The writers used systematic literature reviews, reference to previously published stroke guidelines, personal files, and expert opinion to summarize existing evidence, indicate gaps in current knowledge, and when appropriate, formulate practice implications. All members of the writing group had opportunities to comment in writing on the practice implications and approved the final version of this document. Results This document with consensus is divided into 18 sections. A total of 41 conclusions and practice implications have been developed. The document includes practice implications for evaluation of stroke patients with caution for stroke team members to avoid COVID-19 exposure, during clinical evaluation and performance of imaging and laboratory procedures with special considerations of intravenous thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy in stroke patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection. Conclusions These practice implications with consensus based on the currently available evidence aim to guide clinicians caring for adult patients with acute ischemic stroke who are suspected of, or confirmed, with COVID-19 infection. Under certain circumstances, however, only limited evidence is available to support these practice implications, suggesting an urgent need for establishing procedures for the management of stroke patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection.

scholarly journals Acute reperfusion therapies for acute ischemic stroke patients with unknown time of symptom onset or in extended time windows: an individualized approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 175628642110211
Author(s):  
Georgios Magoufis ◽  
Apostolos Safouris ◽  
Guy Raphaeli ◽  
Odysseas Kargiotis ◽  
Klearchos Psychogios ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Endovascular Treatment ◽  
Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Symptom Onset ◽  
Time Windows ◽  
Intravenous Thrombolysis ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Treatment Algorithms ◽  
Late Presenters

Recent randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) have revolutionized acute ischemic stroke care by extending the use of intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular reperfusion therapies in time windows that have been originally considered futile or even unsafe. Both systemic and endovascular reperfusion therapies have been shown to improve outcome in patients with wake-up strokes or symptom onset beyond 4.5 h for intravenous thrombolysis and beyond 6 h for endovascular treatment; however, they require advanced neuroimaging to select stroke patients safely. Experts have proposed simpler imaging algorithms but high-quality data on safety and efficacy are currently missing. RCTs used diverse imaging and clinical inclusion criteria for patient selection during the dawn of this novel stroke treatment paradigm. After taking into consideration the dismal prognosis of nonrecanalized ischemic stroke patients and the substantial clinical benefit of reperfusion therapies in selected late presenters, we propose rescue reperfusion therapies for acute ischemic stroke patients not fulfilling all clinical and imaging inclusion criteria as an option in a subgroup of patients with clinical and radiological profiles suggesting low risk for complications, notably hemorrhagic transformation as well as local or remote parenchymal hemorrhage. Incorporating new data to treatment algorithms may seem perplexing to stroke physicians, since treatment and imaging capabilities of each stroke center may dictate diverse treatment pathways. This narrative review will summarize current data that will assist clinicians in the selection of those late presenters that will most likely benefit from acute reperfusion therapies. Different treatment algorithms are provided according to available neuroimaging and endovascular treatment capabilities.

scholarly journals Incorporation of α2-Plasmin Inhibitor into Fibrin Clots and Its Association with the Clinical Outcome of Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients

Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 347
Author(s):  
Zsuzsa Bagoly ◽  
Barbara Baráth ◽  
Rita Orbán-Kálmándi ◽  
István Szegedi ◽  
Réka Bogáti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Intracranial Hemorrhage ◽  
Intravenous Thrombolysis ◽  
Fibrin Clot ◽  
Clot Lysis ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Plasmin Inhibitor ◽  
Fibrin Clots

Cross-linking of α2-plasmin inhibitor (α2-PI) to fibrin by activated factor XIII (FXIIIa) is essential for the inhibition of fibrinolysis. Little is known about the factors modifying α2-PI incorporation into the fibrin clot and whether the extent of incorporation has clinical consequences. Herein we calculated the extent of α2-PI incorporation by measuring α2-PI antigen levels from plasma and serum obtained after clotting the plasma by thrombin and Ca2+. The modifying effect of FXIII was studied by spiking of FXIII-A-deficient plasma with purified plasma FXIII. Fibrinogen, FXIII, α2-PI incorporation, in vitro clot-lysis, soluble fibroblast activation protein and α2-PI p.Arg6Trp polymorphism were measured from samples of 57 acute ischemic stroke patients obtained before thrombolysis and of 26 healthy controls. Increasing FXIII levels even at levels above the upper limit of normal increased α2-PI incorporation into the fibrin clot. α2-PI incorporation of controls and patients with good outcomes did not differ significantly (49.4 ± 4.6% vs. 47.4 ± 6.7%, p = 1.000), however it was significantly lower in patients suffering post-lysis intracranial hemorrhage (37.3 ± 14.0%, p = 0.004). In conclusion, increased FXIII levels resulted in elevated incorporation of α2-PI into fibrin clots. In stroke patients undergoing intravenous thrombolysis treatment, α2-PI incorporation shows an association with the outcome of therapy, particularly with thrombolysis-associated intracranial hemorrhage.

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