Stroke; a journal of cerebral circulation
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Independent associations between electrocardiographic abnormalities and outcomes in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: findings from the intraoperative hypothermia aneurysm surgery trial.
Electrocardiographic abnormalities are common after subarachnoid hemorrhage, but their significance remains uncertain. The aim of this study was to determine whether any specific electrocardiographic abnormalities are independently associated with adverse neurological outcomes. ⋯ Bradycardia, relative tachycardia, and nonspecific ST- and T-wave abnormalities are strongly and independently associated with 3-month mortality after subarachnoid hemorrhage. Further research should be performed to determine whether there is a causal relationship between cardiac dysfunction and neurological outcome after subarachnoid hemorrhage.
-
Multicenter Study
Optimal Tmax threshold for predicting penumbral tissue in acute stroke.
We sought to assess whether the volume of the ischemic penumbra can be estimated more accurately by altering the threshold selected for defining perfusion-weighting imaging (PWI) lesions. ⋯ Defining PWI lesions based on a stricter Tmax threshold than the standard >2 seconds delay appears to provide more a reliable estimate of the volume of the ischemic penumbra in stroke patients imaged between 3 and 6 hours after symptom onset. A threshold between 4 and 6 seconds appears optimal for early identification of critically hypoperfused tissue.
-
Letter Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Safety and behavioral effects of high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in stroke.
Electromagnetic brain stimulation might have value to reduce motor deficits after stroke. Safety and behavioral effects of higher frequencies of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) require detailed assessment. ⋯ A single session of high-frequency rTMS to the motor cortex was safe. These results require verification with addition of a placebo group and thus blinded assessments across a wide spectrum of poststroke deficits and with larger doses of 20 Hz rTMS.
-
In randomized trials, acute stroke units are associated with improved patient outcomes. However, it is unclear whether this evidence can be successfully translated into routine clinical practice. We aimed to determine the effect of a coordinated rollout of funding for 22 stroke units on patient outcomes in Australia. ⋯ This multicenter analysis of a large Australian population of hospital stroke admissions demonstrates short-term benefits from implementing stroke units in nonprincipal referral hospitals.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
The combined approach to lysis utilizing eptifibatide and rt-PA in acute ischemic stroke: the CLEAR stroke trial.
Multiple approaches are being studied to enhance the rate of thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke. Treatment of myocardial infarction with a combination of a reduced-dose fibrinolytic agent and a glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa receptor antagonist has been shown to improve the rate of recanalization versus fibrinolysis alone. The combined approach to lysis utilizing eptifibatide and recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) (CLEAR) stroke trial assessed the safety of treating acute ischemic stroke patients within 3 hours of symptom onset with this combination. ⋯ The safety of the combination of reduced-dose rt-PA plus eptifibatide justifies further dose-ranging trials in acute ischemic stroke.