Stroke; a journal of cerebral circulation
-
Dysphagia is a common stroke symptom and leads to serious complications such as aspiration and pneumonia. Early dysphagia screening can reduce these complications. In many hospitals, dysphagia screening is performed by speech-language therapists who are often not available on weekends/holidays, which results in delayed dysphagia assessment. ⋯ 24/7 dysphagia screening can be effectively performed by nurses and leads to reduced pneumonia rates. Therefore, empowering nurses to do a formal bedside screening for swallowing dysfunction in stroke patients timely after admission is warranted whenever speech-language therapists are not available.
-
Ticagrelor is an effective antiplatelet therapy among patients with atherosclerotic disease and, therefore, could be more effective than aspirin in preventing recurrent stroke and cardiovascular events among patients with embolic stroke of unknown source (ESUS), which includes patients with ipsilateral stenosis <50% and aortic arch atherosclerosis. ⋯ URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01994720.
-
Review Meta Analysis Comparative Study
Real-World Setting Comparison of Nonvitamin-K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulants Versus Vitamin-K Antagonists for Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Evidence from the real-world setting complements evidence coming from randomized controlled trials. We aimed to summarize all available evidence from high-quality real-world observational studies about efficacy and safety of nonvitamin-K oral anticoagulants compared with vitamin-K antagonists in patients with atrial fibrillation. ⋯ This meta-analysis confirms the main findings of the randomized controlled trials of dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban in the real-world setting and, hence, strengthens their validity.
-
Renal dysfunction (RD) is associated with poor prognosis after stroke. We assessed the effects of RD on outcomes and interaction with low- versus standard-dose alteplase in a post hoc subgroup analysis of the ENCHANTED (Enhanced Control of Hypertension and Thrombolysis Stroke Study). ⋯ URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01422616.