Cerebrovascular diseases
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Cerebrovascular diseases · Jan 2002
Comparative StudyImprovement in stroke quality management by an educational programme.
Time after symptom onset in ischaemic stroke has to be as short as possible to increase success of treatment. We prospectively analysed latencies from symptom onset until the start of therapy and the rate of thrombolysis in 196 patients with suspected stroke sequentially admitted to the hospital before (6 weeks prior, n = 83) and after (n = 113) initiating an educational stroke programme (EP). ⋯ The mean pre-hospital time interval from symptom onset until admission was significantly decreased by nearly 2 h (p < 0.05). Thrombolytic therapy frequencies increased from 2 to 10.5% (p < 0.01) because the overall mean time interval from admission to the start of therapy significantly decreased (p < 0.01) by 69 min after the EP, with increasing numbers of patients suitable for acute stroke therapies within a 0- to 3-hour treatment window.
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Cerebrovascular diseases · Jan 2002
Dynamic single-section CT demonstrates reduced cerebral blood flow in acute intracerebral hemorrhage.
Optimum blood pressure (BP) management in acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) remains controversial. BP reduction may limit hematoma expansion, but may also exacerbate ischemia. Reduced regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) has been reported in ICH. ⋯ We conclude that CTP identifies a rim of reduced rCBF in ICH. A gradient of hypoperfusion appears to extend at least 4 mm beyond the hematoma edge and may be time dependent. Whether reduced CBF is associated with perihematoma ischemia requires additional study.
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Cerebrovascular diseases · Jan 2001
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical TrialAnticoagulant (fluindione)-aspirin combination in patients with high-risk atrial fibrillation. A randomized trial (Fluindione, Fibrillation Auriculaire, Aspirin et Contraste Spontané; FFAACS).
A combination of low-dose aspirin with anticoagulants may provide better protection against thromboembolic events compared to anticoagulants alone in high-risk patients with atrial fibrillation. ⋯ The combination of aspirin with anticoagulant is associated with increased bleeding in elderly atrial fibrillation patients. The effect on thromboembolism and the overall balance of benefit to risk could not be accurately assessed in this study due to the limited number of ischemic events.
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Cerebrovascular diseases · Jan 2001
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialThe effect of transdermal glyceryl trinitrate, a nitric oxide donor, on blood pressure and platelet function in acute stroke.
Hypertension is a common medical complication in acute stroke and is associated with a poor outcome. However, no large trials have assessed the effect of lowering blood pressure (BP) on outcome, and it remains unclear how BP should be managed in acute stroke. We assessed, in a double-blind randomised controlled trial, whether the nitric oxide (NO) donor glyceryl trinitrate (GTN, a known systemic and cerebral vasodilator), would lower BP and alter platelet function. ⋯ Transdermal GTN, an NO donor, lowered BP by 5-8%, a clinically significant and relevant, but not excessive, degree in patients with acute stroke. However, GTN had no effect on platelet aggregation or expression of adhesion molecules. Since NO donors increase cerebral blood flow in patients with acute ischaemic stroke, GTN may be an appropriate drug for testing the effect of lowering BP on functional outcome.