Stroke; a journal of cerebral circulation
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Clinical Trial
Added Value of Vessel Wall Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Differentiation of Nonocclusive Intracranial Vasculopathies.
Our goal is to determine the added value of intracranial vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging (IVWI) in differentiating nonocclusive vasculopathies compared with luminal imaging alone. ⋯ IVWI can significantly improve the differentiation of nonocclusive intracranial vasculopathies when combined with traditional luminal imaging modalities.
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Review Meta Analysis
Anesthesia-Related Outcomes for Endovascular Stroke Revascularization: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
There is currently controversy on the ideal anesthesia strategy during mechanical thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies comparing clinical and angiographic outcomes of patients undergoing general anesthesia (GA group) and those receiving either local anesthesia or conscious sedation (non-GA group). ⋯ Acute ischemic stroke patients undergoing intra-arterial therapy may have worse outcomes when treated with GA as compared with conscious sedation/local anesthesia. However, major limitations of current evidence (ie, retrospective studies and selection bias) indicate a need for adequately powered, multicenter randomized controlled trials to answer this question.
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Cognitive function is an important component of aging and predicts quality of life, functional independence, and risk of institutionalization. Advances in our understanding of the role of cardiovascular risks have shown them to be closely associated with cognitive impairment and dementia. Because many cardiovascular risks are modifiable, it may be possible to maintain brain health and to prevent dementia in later life. ⋯ Furthermore, although cardiovascular risks align well with brain health, we acknowledge that other factors differing from those related to cardiovascular health may drive cognitive health. Defining optimal brain health in adults and its maintenance is consistent with the AHA's Strategic Impact Goal to improve cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20% and to reduce deaths resulting from cardiovascular disease and stroke by 20% by the year 2020. This work in defining optimal brain health in adults serves to provide the AHA/American Stroke Association with a foundation for a new strategic direction going forward in cardiovascular health promotion and disease prevention.
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The Severity-Based Stroke Triage Algorithm for Emergency Medical Services endorses routing patients with suspected large vessel occlusion acute ischemic strokes directly to endovascular stroke centers (ESCs). We sought to evaluate different specifications of this algorithm within a region. ⋯ Our results demonstrate how discrete event simulation can facilitate informed decision making to optimize emergency medical services stroke severity-based triage algorithms. This is the first step toward developing a mature simulation to predict patient outcomes.
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Observational Study
Palliative Care for Hospitalized Patients With Stroke: Results From the 2010 to 2012 National Inpatient Sample.
Substantial variability exists in the use of life-prolonging treatments for patients with stroke, especially near the end of life. This study explores patterns of palliative care utilization and death in hospitalized patients with stroke across the United States. ⋯ Palliative care use is increasing nationally for patients with stroke, especially in larger hospitals. Persistent disparities in PCE use and mortality exist in regards to age, sex, race, region, and hospital characteristics. Given the variations in PCE use, especially at the end of life, the use of mortality rates as a hospital quality measure is questioned.