Stroke + acute

While biomarkers have greatly impacted the diagnosis and management of myocardial infarction and heart failure, the use of biomarkers has been slow to permeate management of atrial fibrillation. Guideline recommendations on the use of biomarkers in atrial fibrillation were virtually non-existent until the 2016 European Society of Cardiology guidelines on atrial fibrillation offered a class IIb recommendation to consider using biomarkers such as high sensitivity troponin and natriuretic peptide to further refine stroke and bleeding risk in atrial fibrillation patients...

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to compare high dose versus low dose statin therapy in Indian patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing thrombolysis. BACKGROUND: Randomized trials have demonstrated that statin treatment reduced major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) in patients with stable angina pectoris and acute coronary syndrome. However, randomized studies of statin therapy in Indian patients with STEMI are scarce. METHODS: Of 1859 patients with acute STEMI, 1027 eligible patients were randomized to 80-mg (n=512) or 10-mg (n=515) atorvastatin...

The outcomes at discharge for ruptured cerebral aneurysms after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) were investigated using data from the Japanese stroke databank. Among 101,165 patients with acute stroke registered between 2000 and 2013, 4693 patients had SAH caused by ruptured saccular aneurysm. Of these, 3593 patients (1140 men and 2453 women; mean age 61.3 ± 13.7 years) were treated by surgical clipping (SC) and/or endovascular coiling (EC). The outcomes of modified Rankin scale (mRS) at discharge were compared between the SC and EC groups...

BACKGROUND: After a series of positive studies for mechanical thrombectomy in large vessel occlusion acute ischemic stroke, the question remains, can symptomatic patients with distal vessel occlusion benefit from mechanical thrombectomy? PURPOSE: To assess the safety and efficacy of the 3MAX reperfusion system as frontline therapy for M2 and M3 occlusions. METHODS: This study retrospectively collected data on 58 patients treated for M2 and M3 occlusions between January and September 2016...

BACKGROUND: Stroke is the fifth leading cause of mortality in the United States and a leading cause of disability. A complex relationship between thyroid hormone levels and severity of, and outcome after, stroke has been described. AIM: Our objective is to identify the association between baseline thyroid function profile and outcome after acute ischemic stroke. METHODS: Studies looking at the association between thyroid function and functional stroke outcomes were identified from available electronic databases from inception to December 16, 2016...

The hemodynamic effects of ventilation can be grouped into three concepts: 1) spontaneous ventilation is exercise; 2) changes in lung volume alter autonomic tone, pulmonary vascular resistance, and can compress the heart in the cardiac fossa; 3) spontaneous inspiratory efforts decrease intrathoracic pressure (ITP) increasing venous return and impeding left ventricular (LV) ejection; whereas positive pressure ventilation decreases venous return and unloads LV ejection. Spontaneous inspiratory efforts may induce acute LV failure and cardiogenic pulmonary edema...

A Very Early Rehabilitation Trial (AVERT) was a Phase 3 randomized trial with over 2100 subjects post stroke that had unexpected results with better outcomes for usual care than those receiving very early mobilization. This review of published stroke clinical practice guidelines highlights that recommendations for mobilization have changed after publication of AVERT but also that developers have struggled to provide recommendations for appropriate dose, duration and intensity of mobilization in the acute post stroke period with available analyses from AVERT and other literature...

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine whether clevidipine (CLEV) achieved faster blood pressure control compared to nicardipine (NIC) in patients presenting with either an acute ischemic stroke (AIS) or a spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). METHODS: This was a retrospective, observational, cohort study conducted in patients with AIS or ICH admitted to the emergency department of a Comprehensive Stroke Center from November 2011 to June 2013 who received CLEV or NIC continuous infusion for acute blood pressure management...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We aimed to use contrast-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance (CE-CMR) imaging to elucidate the prevalence of left ventricular (LV) thrombus in patients suspected of embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS) with previous myocardial infarction or LV dysfunction (LV ejection fraction [LVEF] <50%). METHODS: We prospectively investigated 797 consecutive patients who presented to our hospital with acute ischemic stroke between 2014 and 2015...

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common cardiovascular disease while atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia. Both diseases share associated risk factors - hypertension, diabetes mellitus, sleep apnea, obesity and smoking. Moreover, inflammation plays a causative role in both diseases. The prevalence of CAD in patients with AF is from 17% to 46.5% while the prevalence of AF among patients with CAD is low and it is estimated from 0.2% to 5%. AF is a well-established factor of poor short- and long-term prognosis in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and is associated with a marked increase in overall mortality...

The mechanisms causing improved cognition following acute exercise are poorly understood. This article proposes that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is the main factor contributing to improved cognition following exercise. Additionally, it argues that cerebral blood flow (CBF) and oxidative stress explain the release of BDNF from cerebral endothelial cells. One way to test these hypotheses is to block endothelial function and measure the effect on BDNF levels and cognitive performance. The CBF and oxidative stress can also be examined in relationship to BDNF using a multiple linear regression...

OBJECTIVE: Dynamic tests of fluid responsiveness have been developed and investigated in clinical trials of goal-directed therapy. The impact of this approach on clinically relevant outcomes is unknown. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate whether fluid therapy guided by dynamic assessment of fluid responsiveness compared with standard care improves clinically relevant outcomes in adults admitted to the ICU. DATA SOURCES: Randomized controlled trials from MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, clinicaltrials...

Acute central nervous system (CNS) injury, encompassing traumatic brain injury (TBI) and stroke, accounts for a significant burden of morbidity and mortality worldwide, largely attributable to the development of cerebral oedema and elevated intracranial pressure (ICP). Despite this, clinical treatments are limited and new therapies are urgently required to improve patient outcomes and survival. Originally characterised in peripheral tissues, such as the skin and lungs as a neurally-elicited inflammatory process that contributes to increased microvascular permeability and tissue swelling, neurogenic inflammation has now been described in acute injury to the brain where it may play a key role in the secondary injury cascades that evolve following both TBI and stroke...

OBJECTIVE: Cerebral infarction due to minor head injury is rare. Mineralizing angiopathy is considered a predisposing factor for lenticulostriate stroke after minor closed head injury. This entity is characterized by infarction of the basal ganglia and most often occurs in young children, from infancy to 2 years of age. Symptoms usually occur immediately after the injury. METHODS AND RESULTS: We present the case of a previously healthy 2-year-old female child presenting with right facial hemiparesis and aphasia, along with right arm and leg weakness that occurred immediately after a fall from the couch onto a carpeted floor...

Cerebrovascular disease (CVD) remains a leading cause of death and the leading cause of adult disability in most developed countries. This work summarizes state-of-the-art, and possible future, diagnostic and evaluation approaches in multiple stages of CVD, including (i) visualization of sub-clinical disease processes, (ii) acute stroke theranostics, and (iii) characterization of post-stroke recovery mechanisms. Underlying pathophysiology as it relates to large vessel steno-occlusive disease and the impact of this macrovascular disease on tissue-level viability, hemodynamics (cerebral blood flow, cerebral blood volume, and mean transit time), and metabolism (cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen consumption and pH) are also discussed in the context of emerging neuroimaging protocols with sensitivity to these factors...

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To conduct a survey of the clinical nursing practice in European countries in accordance with the European Stroke Strategies (ESS) 2006, and to examine to what extent the ESS have been implemented in stroke care nursing in Europe. BACKGROUND: Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability globally. Optimal organisation of interdisciplinary stroke care is expected to ameliorate outcome after stroke. Consequently, universal access to stroke care based on evidence-based guidelines is a priority...

Spontaneous dissection of cervical arteries (sCAD) is a major cause of ischemic stroke in young patients, with an incidence varying from 1.7 to 3/100,000/year for extracranial internal carotid artery (ICAD) and 1 to 1.9/100,000/year for extracranial vertebral artery (VAD). Reliable epidemiological data on stroke incidence related to sCAD are scarce in Italy. This study aims to evaluate the incidence, clinical features, and outcome of cerebrovascular events related to sCAD and spontaneous intracranial arteries dissections (sIAD) in the city of Pisa (Italy)...

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with an increased risk of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Accurately predicting AIS and planning effective treatment pathways for AIS prevention are crucial for AF patients. Because of the temporality of patients' disease progressions, sequential disease and treatment patterns have the potential to improve risk prediction performance and contribute to effective treatment pathways. This paper integrates temporal pattern mining into the AF study of AIS prediction and treatment pathway discovery...

Marijuana is the most widely abused "recreational" substance in the United States, with highest prevalence in young adults. It is reported to cause ischemic strokes, hepatitis, anxiety, and psychosis. Although it is associated with dose dependent tachycardia and can lead to coronary vasospasm, it has not been directly related to acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Marijuana induced coronary vasospasm can result in endothelial denudation at the site of a vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque in response to hemodynamic stressors, potentially causing an AMI...

BACKGROUND: Stroke often causes functional decline in patients. Therefore, after the acute phase, many patients require post-acute care (PAC) to maximize their functional progress, reduce disability, and make it possible for them to return to their home and community. PAC can be provided in different settings. Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) proposed a PAC pilot program, effective since 2014, for stroke patients that allowed patients with the potential for functional improvement to receive PAC rehabilitation in regional or community hospitals...