Stroke; a journal of cerebral circulation
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Poor nutritional status on admission predicts poor outcomes after stroke: observational data from the FOOD trial.
Previous studies suggest that undernourished patients with acute stroke do badly. The data, however, are not robust. We aimed to reliably assess the importance of baseline nutritional status as an independent predictor of long-term outcome after stroke in a large prospective cohort enrolled in the Feed Or Ordinary Diet (FOOD) trial, a multicenter randomized trial evaluating various feeding policies. ⋯ These data provide reliable evidence that nutritional status early after stroke is independently associated with long-term outcome. It supports the rationale for the FOOD trial, which continues to recruit and aims to estimate the effect of different feeding regimes on outcome after stroke and thus determine whether the association observed in this study is likely to be causal.
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Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA; Actilyse) is not as widely used in clinical practice as it could be. Have new data since 1995 strengthened the evidence sufficiently to justify more widespread use of rtPA? ⋯ Despite doubling of the data since 1995, the magnitude of risks and benefits with rtPA remains imprecise. This gap in knowledge may be hindering clinical use of rtPA and can be filled only by new trials designed to address these specific issues.
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We sought (1) to identify early metabolic markers for the development of (ir)reversible neurological deficits and cerebral infarction in subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) patients by using the microdialysis technique and (2) to evaluate the influence of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) on microdialysis parameters. ⋯ In the presence of ICH, pathological microdialysis values may indicate reversible tissue damage. Extreme microdialysis values and pathological microdialysis concentrations that further deteriorate 2-fold are highly indicative of the development of cerebral infarction and permanent neurological deficits. Therefore, the analysis of relative changes of microdialysis parameters is crucial for the detection of ischemia in SAH patients.
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Multicenter Study
Major risk factors for aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage in the young are modifiable.
To identify risk factors for subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and intracerebral hemorrhage, we designed a case-control study of men and women 18 to 49 years of age (the Hemorrhagic Stroke Project [HSP]). This report focuses on SAH. ⋯ Aneurysmal SAH may be largely a preventable disease among the young and middle-aged because several prevalent risk factors can be modified by medication (eg, hypertension) or behavioral change (eg, cigarette smoking, cocaine use). The association of caffeine and nicotine in pharmaceutical products and aneurysmal SAH warrants further study.
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Thrombolysis with alteplase is used in acute ischemic stroke within 3 hours after symptom onset in many stroke centers, but experience remains limited in Europe. ⋯ We conclude that our management protocol for thrombolytic therapy is safe. These rates of functional outcome, case fatality, and hemorrhagic cerebral events compare favorably with those of other published series of stroke thrombolysis with similar time windows and management guidelines. Associations between blood pressure and its treatment during thrombolysis with functional outcome deserve further analysis.