International journal of stroke : official journal of the International Stroke Society
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There is uncertainty surrounding the influence of prior antiplatelet agent use on outcomes after intravenous thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator in acute ischemic stroke. ⋯ In acute ischemic stroke patients receiving intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator therapy, prior antiplatelet agent use did not lead to a significant difference in functional outcome, although it significantly increased the risk of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage. Recanalization rate was not different between two groups. In the subgroup analysis, prior clopidogrel mono therapy may not increase the risk of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, which will need further studies to confirm.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Comparison between angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers on the risk of stroke recurrence and longitudinal progression of white matter lesions and silent brain infarcts on MRI (CEREBRAL study): rationale, design, and methodology.
Patients with a history of ischemic stroke are known to develop new ischemic stroke. While asymptomatic, the presence and progression of silent brain infarcts and white matter lesions on magnetic resonance imaging are associated with an increased risk of future strokes. Both angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers are recommended for the primary and secondary prevention of stroke, but there are no direct comparisons of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors versus angiotensin II receptor blockers regarding their cerebroprotective effects, including their effect on asymptomatic cerebral lesions detected by magnetic resonance imaging. ⋯ Our study will clarify whether angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers are more effective for preventing primary and recurrence of ischemic stroke, including the progression of asymptomatic cerebral lesions on magnetic resonance imaging, in elderly hypertensive patients.
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Every year, approximately 62,000 people with stroke and transient ischemic attack are treated in Canadian hospitals. The 2014 update of the Canadian Secondary Prevention of Stroke guideline is a comprehensive summary of current evidence-based recommendations for clinicians in a range of settings, who provide care to patients following stroke. ⋯ The Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations include a range of supporting materials such as implementation resources to facilitate the adoption of evidence to practice, and related performance measures to enable monitoring of uptake and effectiveness of the recommendations using a standardized approach. The guidelines further emphasize the need for a systems approach to stroke care, involving an interprofessional team, with access to specialists regardless of patient location, and the need to overcome geographical barriers to ensure equity in access within a universal health-care system.
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The frequency of acute large vessel occlusions in relation to clinical severity has not yet been established in a comprehensive, consecutive and unselected cohort of patients with hyper-acute cerebral ischemia. ⋯ Acute vessel occlusions are frequent in unselected patients. Occlusions occurred in all NIHSS score values but a NIHSS cut-off value of 6 most optimally predicted acute vessel occlusion, even though accuracy was low.