Stroke; a journal of cerebral circulation
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Comparative Study
Hypertonic saline in patients with poor-grade subarachnoid hemorrhage improves cerebral blood flow, brain tissue oxygen, and pH.
Delayed cerebral ischemia and infarction due to reduced CBF remains the leading cause of poor outcome after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Hypertonic saline (HS) is associated with an increase in CBF. This study explores whether CBF enhancement with HS in patients with poor-grade subarachnoid hemorrhage is associated with improved cerebral tissue oxygenation. ⋯ HS augments CBF in patients with poor-grade subarachnoid hemorrhage and significantly improves cerebral oxygenation for 4 hours postinfusion. Favorable outcome is associated with an improvement in brain tissue oxygen beyond 210 minutes.
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Review Meta Analysis Comparative Study
Effect of statin treatment on vasospasm, delayed cerebral ischemia, and functional outcome in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: a systematic review and meta-analysis update.
A recent meta-analysis investigating the efficacy of statin treatment in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage reported a reduced incidence of vasospasm, delayed cerebral ischemia, and mortality in statin-treated patients. However, the meta-analysis was criticized for its methodology, and several retrospective studies found no beneficial effect. We present the results of a new systematic review, which differs from the previous systematic review in its methodology, and by inclusion of the results of a fourth randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Summary of Review- All randomized, placebo-controlled trials investigating the effect of statins on vasospasm, delayed cerebral ischemia, and functional outcome in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage were included. Outcomes were the number of patients with transcranial Doppler vasospasm, delayed cerebral ischemia, poor outcome, and mortality during follow-up. Effect sizes were expressed in (pooled) risk ratio estimates. Data were pooled using random-effects models. ⋯ The results of the present systematic review do not lend statistically significant support to the finding of a beneficial effect of statins in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage as reported in a previous meta-analysis.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Remote supervision of IV-tPA for acute ischemic stroke by telemedicine or telephone before transfer to a regional stroke center is feasible and safe.
Because of a shortage of stroke specialists, many outlying or "spoke" hospitals initiate intravenous (IV) thrombolysis using telemedicine or telephone consultation before transferring patients to a regional stroke center (RSC) hub. We analyzed complications and outcomes of patients treated with IV tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) using the "drip and ship" approach compared to those treated directly at the RSC. ⋯ Outcomes in OSH "drip and ship" patients treated in a hub-and-spoke network were comparable to those treated directly at an RSC. These data suggest that "drip and ship" is a safe and effective method to shorten time to treatment with IV tPA.
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Meta Analysis Comparative Study
Endovascular treatment of very small (3 mm or smaller) intracranial aneurysms: report of a consecutive series and a meta-analysis.
We performed a meta-analysis of published studies on the endovascular treatment of very small intracranial aneurysms, including 71 patients treated at our institution. ⋯ Our meta-analysis suggests that treatment of very small aneurysms is feasible and effective in >90% of treated aneurysms. However, the risk of periprocedural rupture is higher than that reported for larger aneurysms. Similarly, the combined rate of periprocedural mortality and morbidity is not negligible (7.3%) and should be considered when considering the best therapeutic option for these aneurysms.