Lancet
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Stroke is a major cause of death and disability globally. Diagnosis depends on clinical features and brain imaging to differentiate between ischaemic stroke and intracerebral haemorrhage. Non-contrast CT can exclude haemorrhage, but the addition of CT perfusion imaging and angiography allows a positive diagnosis of ischaemic stroke versus mimics and can identify a large vessel occlusion target for endovascular thrombectomy. ⋯ Both haemostatic agents and surgical interventions are investigational for intracerebral haemorrhage. Prevention of recurrent stroke requires an understanding of the mechanism of stroke to target interventions, such as carotid endarterectomy, anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation, and patent foramen ovale closure. However, interventions such as lowering blood pressure, smoking cessation, and lifestyle optimisation are common to all stroke subtypes.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Estimating lifetime benefits of comprehensive disease-modifying pharmacological therapies in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: a comparative analysis of three randomised controlled trials.
Three drug classes (mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists [MRAs], angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors [ARNIs], and sodium/glucose cotransporter 2 [SGLT2] inhibitors) reduce mortality in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) beyond conventional therapy consisting of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and β blockers. Each class was previously studied with different background therapies and the expected treatment benefits with their combined use are not known. Here, we used data from three previously reported randomised controlled trials to estimate lifetime gains in event-free survival and overall survival with comprehensive therapy versus conventional therapy in patients with chronic HFrEF. ⋯ None.