scholarly journals Ischemic Stroke Risk Factors in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation Treated with New Oral Anticoagulants

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1223
Author(s):  
Paweł Wańkowicz ◽  
Jacek Staszewski ◽  
Aleksander Dębiec ◽  
Marta Nowakowska-Kotas ◽  
Aleksandra Szylińska ◽  
...  

The most commonly used therapeutic option for the prevention of ischemic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation is new- or old-generation oral anticoagulants. New oral anticoagulants are at least as effective as old-generation oral anticoagulants in the prevention of ischemic stroke, with a reduced risk of life-threatening hemorrhage. Moreover, the constant monitoring of these drugs in the patient’s blood is not required during routine use. However, ischemic stroke can still occur in these patients. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the pattern of risk factors for ischemic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation treated with new oral anticoagulants. Our multicenter retrospective study involved 2032 patients with acute ischemic stroke. The experimental group consisted of 256 patients with acute ischemic stroke and nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, who were treated with new oral anticoagulants. The control group consisted of 1776 ischemic stroke patients without coexisting atrial fibrillation. The results of our study show that patients with atrial fibrillation treated with new oral anticoagulants are more likely to display thrombotic, proatherogenic, and proinflammatory factors in addition to the embolic factors associated with atrial fibrillation. Therefore, solely taking new oral anticoagulants is insufficient in protecting this group of patients from ischemic stroke.

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-24
Author(s):  
Paweł Wańkowicz ◽  
Przemysław Nowacki ◽  
Monika Gołąb-Janowska

IntroductionAtrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common heart arrhythmia. The condition is known to increase the risk of ischemic stroke (IS). Classical risk factors for the development of AF include advanced age, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease and lipid metabolism disorders. Importantly, these are also recognized risk factors for ischemic stroke. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate AF risk factors in patients with IS.Material and methodsThis is single-centre retrospective study which included 696 patients with acute ischemic stroke and nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and 1678 patients with acute ischemic stroke without atrial fibrillation.ResultsIn this study we found – based on a univariable and multivariable logistic regression model – that compared to the patients with IS without AF, the group of patients which suffered from IS with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) had a higher proportion of patients who smoked cigarettes (OR = 15.742, p < 0.01; OR = 41.1, p < 0.01), had hypertension (OR = 5.161, p < 0.01; OR = 5.666, p < 0.01), history of previous stroke (OR = 3.951, p < 0.01; OR = 4.792, p < 0.01), dyslipidemia (OR = 2.312, p < 0.01; OR = 1.592, p < 0.01), coronary heart disease (OR = 2.306, p < 0.01; OR = 1.988, p < 0.01), a greater proportion of female patients (OR = 1.717, p < 0.01; OR = 2.095, p < 0.01), higher incidence of diabetes mellitus (OR = 1.341, p < 0.01; OR = 1.261, p = 0.106) and more patients in old age (OR = 1.084, p < 0.01; OR = 1.101, p < 0.01).ConclusionsOur study demonstrates a need for thorough and systematic monitoring of post-ischemic stroke patients in whom AF has not been detected and who display other important risk factors. Regardless of the stroke, these factors may be responsible for development of AF.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-157
Author(s):  
Sandeep Nayani ◽  
Rajesh Reddy Chenna ◽  
Rajesh Reddy Sannareddy ◽  
Sandeep Bhapkar ◽  
Sonesh Kalra ◽  
...  

Non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants have provided an optimization of management of patients in the prevention of stroke in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. The lack of an effective reversal agent has remained a challenge to these agents’ widespread utilization. Idarucizumab, a specific reversal agent for dabigatran, is approved in many countries including India. However, there is limited data for its use for Indian patients. We are reporting one of the cases of its use in India where it successfully reversed dabigatran prior to mechanical thrombectomy in acute ischemic stroke.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-53
Author(s):  
Kateryna Antonenko ◽  
Maurizio Paciaroni ◽  
Giancarlo Agnelli ◽  
Nicola Falocci ◽  
Cecilia Becattini ◽  
...  

Introduction Atrial fibrillation is an independent risk factor of thromboembolism. Women with atrial fibrillation are at a higher overall risk for stroke compared to men with atrial fibrillation. The aim of this study was to evaluate for sex differences in patients with acute stroke and atrial fibrillation, regarding risk factors, treatments received and outcomes. Methods Data were analyzed from the “Recurrence and Cerebral Bleeding in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke and Atrial Fibrillation” (RAF-study), a prospective, multicenter, international study including only patients with acute stroke and atrial fibrillation. Patients were followed up for 90 days. Disability was measured by the modified Rankin Scale (0–2 favorable outcome, 3–6 unfavorable outcome). Results Of the 1029 patients enrolled, 561 were women (54.5%) ( p < 0.001) and younger ( p < 0.001) compared to men. In patients with known atrial fibrillation, women were less likely to receive oral anticoagulants before index stroke ( p = 0.026) and were less likely to receive anticoagulants after stroke (71.3% versus 78.4%, p = 0.01). There was no observed sex difference regarding the time of starting anticoagulant therapy between the two groups (6.4 ± 11.7 days for men versus 6.5 ± 12.4 days for women, p = 0.902). Men presented with more severe strokes at onset (mean NIHSS 9.2 ± 6.9 versus 8.1 ± 7.5, p < 0.001). Within 90 days, 46 (8.2%) recurrent ischemic events (stroke/TIA/systemic embolism) and 19 (3.4%) symptomatic cerebral bleedings were found in women compared to 30 (6.4%) and 18 (3.8%) in men ( p = 0.28 and p = 0.74). At 90 days, 57.7% of women were disabled or deceased, compared to 41.1% of the men ( p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis did not confirm this significance. Conclusions Women with atrial fibrillation were less likely to receive oral anticoagulants prior to and after stroke compared to men with atrial fibrillation, and when stroke occurred, regardless of the fact that in our study women were younger and with less severe stroke, outcomes did not differ between the sexes.


BMC Neurology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zheng Wang ◽  
Jiangyong Miao ◽  
Lina Wang ◽  
Ying Liu ◽  
Hui Ji ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Presentation with massive systemic embolization as the initial manifestation of occult malignancy is infrequent. The standard management of cancer-related arterial thromboembolism has not yet been established. Case presentation We described a case of Trousseau’s syndrome resulting in acute ischemic stroke concomitant with multiple embolizations in the spleen and kidney during oral administration of dabigatran for pulmonary embolism preceding the diagnosis of a malignant tumor. A cancer-related hypercoagulable state was suspected because the patient was admitted to the neurology department due to acute ischemic stroke with three territory infarcts on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in the absence of identifiable conventional risk factors and brain vessel narrowing. The patient was subsequently diagnosed with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation–positive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (stage IV) with pleural metastasis. Administration of low-molecular-weight heparin followed by long-term dabigatran under effective cancer therapy comprising gefitinib and subsequent chemotherapy did not cause stroke relapse during the 1-year follow-up. Conclusions This case suggests that cancer-related hypercoagulability should be considered an important etiology for stroke patients who develop unexplained disseminated acute cerebral infarction without conventional stroke risk factors, especially concomitant with multiple organ embolization. Novel oral anticoagulants may be an alternative therapy for the long-term management of cancer-related arterial thromboembolism under effective cancer therapy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Giustozzi

Abstract Background The optimal timing for starting anticoagulation after an acute ischemic stroke related to non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) remains a challenge, especially in patients treated with systemic thrombolysis or mechanical thrombectomy. Purpose We aimed to assess the rates of early recurrence and major bleeding in patients with acute ischemic stroke and AF treated with thrombolytic therapy and/or thrombectomy who received oral anticoagulants for secondary prevention. Methods We combined the dataset of the RAF and the RAF-NOACs studies, which were prospective observational studies carried out from January 2012 to March 2014 and April 2014 to June 2016, respectively. We included consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke and AF treated with either vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) or new oral anticoagulants (NOACs). Primary outcome was the composite of stroke, transient ischemic attack, symptomatic systemic embolism, symptomatic cerebral bleeding, and major extracerebral bleeding within 90 days from the inclusion. Results A total of 2,159 patients were included in the RAF and RAF-NOACs trials, of which 564 patients (26%) were treated with urgent reperfusion therapy. After acute stroke, 505 (90%) patients treated with reperfusion and 1,287 out of the 1,595 (81%) patients not treated with reperfusion started oral anticoagulation. Timing of starting oral anticoagulation was similar in reperfusion-treated and untreated patients (13.5±23.3 vs 12.3±18.3 days, respectively, p=0.287). At 90 days, the composite rate of recurrence and major bleeding occurred in 37 (7%) of patients treated with reperfusion treatment and in 139 (9%) of untreated patients (p=0.127). Twenty-four (4%) reperfusion-treated patients and 82 (5%) untreated patients had early recurrence while major bleeding occurred in 13 (2%) treated and in 64 (4%) untreated patients, respectively. Seven patients in the untreated group experienced both an ischemic and hemorrhagic event. Figure 1 shows the risk of early recurrence and major bleeding over time in patients treated and not treated with reperfusion treatments. The use of NOACs was associated with a favorable rate of the primary outcome compared to VKAs (Odd ratio 0.4, 95% Confidence Interval 0.3–0.7). Conclusions Reperfusion treatment did not influence the risk of early recurrence and major bleeding in patients with AF-related acute ischemic stroke who started anticoagulant treatment. Figure 1 Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None


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