Stroke; a journal of cerebral circulation
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Current US guideline statements regarding primary and secondary cardiovascular risk prediction and prevention use absolute risk estimates to identify patients who are at high risk for vascular disease events and who may benefit from specific preventive interventions. These guidelines do not explicitly include patients with stroke, however. This statement provides an overview of evidence and arguments supporting (1) the inclusion of patients with stroke, and atherosclerotic stroke in particular, among those considered to be at high absolute risk of cardiovascular disease and (2) the inclusion of stroke as part of the outcome cluster in risk prediction instruments for vascular disease. ⋯ Patients with atherosclerotic stroke should be included among those deemed to be at high risk (≥20% over 10 years) of further atherosclerotic coronary events. Inclusion of nonatherosclerotic stroke subtypes remains less certain. For the purposes of primary prevention, ischemic stroke should be included among cardiovascular disease outcomes in absolute risk assessment algorithms. The inclusion of atherosclerotic ischemic stroke as a high-risk condition and the inclusion of ischemic stroke more broadly as an outcome will likely have important implications for prevention of cardiovascular disease, because the number of patients considered to be at high risk would grow substantially.
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Time from symptom onset to hospital arrival is the most important factor in determining eligibility for intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator. We used data from a large contemporary nationwide study to determine temporal trends in the proportions of patients arriving within time windows for potential acute ischemic stroke therapies. ⋯ More than one fourth of patients with ischemic stroke arrive within the time window for tissue-type plasminogen activator therapy; however, this percentage has remained unchanged over recent years. Further efforts are needed to increase the portion of patients with acute ischemic stroke presenting within the time window for acute interventions.
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Prescribing warfarin for atrial fibrillation depends in large part on the expected reduction in ischemic stroke risk versus the expected increased risk of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH). However, the anticoagulation decision also depends on the relative severity of such events. We assessed the impact of anticoagulation on 30-day mortality from ischemic stroke versus ICH in a large community-based cohort of patients with atrial fibrillation. ⋯ Warfarin reduces 30-day mortality from ischemic stroke but increases ICH-related mortality. Both effects on event severity as well as on event rates need to be incorporated into rational decision-making about anticoagulants for atrial fibrillation.
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Multicenter Study
Poor prognosis in warfarin-associated intracranial hemorrhage despite anticoagulation reversal.
Anticoagulant-associated intracranial hemorrhage (aaICH) presents with larger hematoma volumes, higher risk of hematoma expansion, and worse outcome than spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage. Prothrombin complex concentrates (PCCs) are indicated for urgent reversal of anticoagulation after aaICH. Given the lack of randomized controlled trial evidence of efficacy, and the potential for thrombotic complications, we aimed to determine outcomes in patients with aaICH treated with PCC. ⋯ PCC therapy rapidly corrected international normalized ratio in the majority of patients, yet mortality and morbidity rates remained high. Rapid international normalized ratio correction alone may not be sufficient to alter prognosis after aaICH.