Stroke; a journal of cerebral circulation
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Effect of paracetamol (acetaminophen) on body temperature in acute ischemic stroke: a double-blind, randomized phase II clinical trial.
Body temperature is a strong predictor of outcome in acute stroke. However, it is unknown whether antipyretic treatment leads to early and clinically worthwhile reduction of body temperature in patients with acute stroke, especially when they have no fever. The main purpose of this trial was to study whether early treatment of acute ischemic stroke patients with acetaminophen (paracetamol) reduces body temperature. ⋯ Treatment with a daily dose of 6000 mg acetaminophen may result in a small, but potentially beneficial, decrease in body temperature shortly after ischemic stroke, even in normothermic and subfebrile patients. Further studies should determine whether this effect is reproducible and whether early reduction of body temperature leads to improved outcome.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
A comparison of the costs and survival of hospital-admitted stroke patients across Europe.
Policy makers require evidence on the costs and outcomes of different ways of organizing stroke care. This study compared the costs and survival of different ways of providing stroke care. ⋯ The cost of stroke care varies across Europe because of differences in unit costs, and resource use. Further research is needed to assess which ways of organizing stroke care are the most cost-effective.
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Evidence suggests that an alteration in cerebral hemodynamics plays a relevant role in the occurrence of stroke in patients with carotid occlusion. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the relationships among baseline characteristics, type and number of collateral pathways, cerebral vasomotor reactivity (VMR), and outcome of patients with carotid occlusion. ⋯ These data suggest that cerebral hemodynamic status in patients with carotid occlusive disease is influenced by both individual anatomic and functional characteristics. The planning of strategies to define the risk profile and any attempt to influence patients' outcome should be based on the evaluation of the intracranial hemodynamic adaptive status, with particular attention to the number of collateral vessels and the related VMR.
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Comparative Study
Effect of apolipoprotein E genotype on cerebral autoregulation during cardiopulmonary bypass.
The presence of the apolipoprotein E epsilon4 (apoE4) allele has been associated with cognitive decline after cardiac surgery. We compared autoregulation of cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral metabolic rate for oxygen (CMRO(2)), and arterial-venous oxygen content difference [C(A-V)O(2)], during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in patients with and without the apoE4 allele to help define the mechanism of association with cognitive decline. ⋯ We conclude that apoE genotype does not affect global CBF and oxygen delivery/extraction during CPB, which suggests that other mechanisms are responsible for the apoE isoform-related neurocognitive dysfunction seen in patients undergoing CPB.
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Comparative Study
Trends in incidence and case fatality rates of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage in Izumo City, Japan, between 1980-1989 and 1990-1998.
With aging of the population, the profile of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is likely to change; however, evaluation of long-term trends for incidence and case fatality rates of SAH is still limited. ⋯ The age- and sex-adjusted incidence rates of aneurysmal SAH were stable over the 19-year period since 1980 and, despite improvement of outcome in patients aged