Journal of stroke and cerebrovascular diseases : the official journal of National Stroke Association
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J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis · Oct 2015
Observational StudyInternational Normalized Ratio Variability: A Measure of Anticoagulation Quality or a Powerful Mortality Predictor.
As atrial fibrillation (AF) carries twice the mortality hazard when compared with a similar population without diagnosed AF, the importance of risk stratifying is obvious. Several variables are related to outcome: age, comorbidities, and use of several medications, particularly oral anticoagulants. The CHA2DS2VASc score is an extremely useful tool to predict thromboembolic events and also mortality. The international normalized ratio (INR) variability is a treatment efficacy variable also associated with morbidity in patients receiving warfarin. The objective of the study is to compare the prognostic value of the CHA2DS2VASc versus the INR variability or its combination to predict mortality. ⋯ INR variability is an extremely useful tool to assess anticoagulation quality. Calculation of both CHA2DS2VASc and INR variability appears to be extremely useful to predict mortality in patients with AF receiving warfarin. The SDINRs emerges as a strong mortality predictor compared to the other INR variability indexes.
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J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis · Oct 2015
Elevated Troponin Levels in Acute Stroke Patients Predict Long-term Mortality.
Elevated plasma levels of troponin in acute stroke patients are common and have in several studies been shown to predict in-hospital and short-term mortality. Little is, however, known about the long-term prognosis of these patients. The aim of this study was to determine patient characteristics and 5-year mortality in patients with acute stroke and troponin elevation on admission. ⋯ Troponin elevation in patients with acute stroke, even when adjusted for several possible confounders, is associated with an almost 2-fold increased risk of 5-year mortality.
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J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis · Oct 2015
Safety and Hemodynamic Profile of Propofol and Dexmedetomidine Anesthesia during Intra-arterial Acute Stroke Therapy.
There is limited data on the safety, hemodynamic profile, and outcome of patients undergoing intra-arterial therapy (IAT) for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) under sedation with dexmedetomidine (DEX) versus propofol (PROP). ⋯ There was no difference in good clinical outcome or in-hospital mortality in patients undergoing IAT for AIS using DEX versus PROP sedation. However, hemodynamic instability and vasopressor requirement were significantly higher in the DEX group. DEX should be cautiously utilized in IAT.