Thrombolysis for stroke caused by infective endocarditis: an illustrative case and review of the literature

Coagulation Disorders in Infective Endocarditis: Role of Pathogens, Biomarkers, Antithrombotic Therapy (Systematic Review)

The issue of antithrombotic therapy in patients with infective endocarditis has been studied for over 75 years. During that time studying of pathogenesis of the disease and its embolic complications, lead to the introduction of the concept of “immunothrombosis”. That mechanism allows infective agents (mostly bacteria) to be cloaked from the immune system and to multiply freely, leading to growth of vegetation, thus resulting in higher chance of fragmentation. Small-scale experimental and clinical studies on the correction of hemostatic disorders in infective endocarditis, that were performed in 20th century, didn’t show any significant results, that could affect clinical practice. However, reinterpretation of available data on coagulative system will allow to have elements of hemostasis as an application point in treating infective endocarditis. The article will discuss latest insights on the role of hemostasis system in pathophysisology of infective endocarditis, its effects on the development of the embolic complications, perspectives for diagnostics and treatment.

European Stroke Organisation (ESO) guidelines on intravenous thrombolysis for acute ischaemic stroke

Intravenous thrombolysis is the only approved systemic reperfusion treatment for patients with acute ischaemic stroke. These European Stroke Organisation (ESO) guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations to assist physicians in their clinical decisions with regard to intravenous thrombolysis for acute ischaemic stroke. These guidelines were developed based on the ESO standard operating procedure and followed the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology. The working group identified relevant clinical questions, performed systematic reviews and meta-analyses of the literature, assessed the quality of the available evidence, and wrote recommendations. Expert consensus statements were provided if not enough evidence was available to provide recommendations based on the GRADE approach. We found high quality evidence to recommend intravenous thrombolysis with alteplase to improve functional outcome in patients with acute ischemic stroke within 4.5 h after symptom onset. We also found high quality evidence to recommend intravenous thrombolysis with alteplase in patients with acute ischaemic stroke on awakening from sleep, who were last seen well more than 4.5 h earlier, who have MRI DWI-FLAIR mismatch, and for whom mechanical thrombectomy is not planned. These guidelines provide further recommendations regarding patient subgroups, late time windows, imaging selection strategies, relative and absolute contraindications to alteplase, and tenecteplase. Intravenous thrombolysis remains a cornerstone of acute stroke management. Appropriate patient selection and timely treatment are crucial. Further randomized controlled clinical trials are needed to inform clinical decision-making with regard to tenecteplase and the use of intravenous thrombolysis before mechanical thrombectomy in patients with large vessel occlusion.

Neurologic complications of infective endocarditis

Infective endocarditis (IE) is an infection primarily affecting the endocardium of heart valves that can embolize systemically and to the brain. Neurologic manifestations include strokes, intracerebral hemorrhages, mycotic aneurysms, meningitis, cerebral abscesses, and infections of the spine. Neurologic involvement is associated with worse mortality, though it does not always portend a poor functional prognosis. Neuroimaging is indicated in patients who have neurologic symptoms, including cerebral vessel imaging in patients who have subarachnoid hemorrhage. In the case of acute ischemic stroke (IS), IV thrombolysis is contraindicated but endovascular thrombectomy may be a consideration. Neurologic findings understandably raise concern about valve surgery when indicated due to the risk of hemorrhage with perioperative anticoagulation. However, most neurologic complications do not preclude valve surgery and valve surgery may in fact be indispensable in some cases to prevent further neurologic problems. Management decisions in patients with IE and neurologic complications should therefore be multidisciplinary with a major contribution from the neurologist.

[The pathology of the thrombi obtained by endovascular thrombectomy were useful for diagnosis of two cases of cardiogenic cerebral embolism due to infective endocarditis and nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis]

Patient 1 was a 55-year-old male with cerebral infarction due to obstruction of the left middle cerebral artery during treatment for bacteremia, along with a verruca of infectious endocarditis harvested from endovascular thrombectomy. Patient 2 was a 59-year-old female suffering from cerebral infarction at the terminal branch during intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma chemotherapy who thereafter developed cerebral infarction again due to obstruction of the left middle cerebral artery, along with a verruca of nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis (NBTE) harvested from endovascular thrombectomy. In tumor-bearing patients, while NBTE may be more closely related to the development of cerebral infarctions than previously assumed, we also need pay attention to the onset of infectious endocarditis. We need further studies on the effectiveness and safety of thrombolysis therapy and endovascular thrombectomy for cerebral infarctions due to endocarditis in both patients. The harvested emboli may provide clues to the differentiation thereof.

Safety and outcomes of mechanical thrombectomy for acute stroke related to infective endocarditis: A case–control study

Background and purpose

Successful reperfusion can be achieved in more than two-thirds of patients with usual large-vessel occlusion stroke causes treated with mechanical thrombectomy. However, the safety and outcomes after mechanical thrombectomy in the setting of large-vessel occlusion related to infective endocarditis is not known. In this study, we investigated the impact of mechanical thrombectomy in infective endocarditis patients on angiographic and clinical outcomes.

Methods

This was a multicenter study from five comprehensive stroke centers. We compared the outcomes of mechanical thrombectomy treated stroke patients due to infective endocarditis with patients presenting atrial fibrillation. Clinical outcomes included 90-day modified Rankin Scale, symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage, and mortality.

Results

Between June 2013 and March 2019, 28 patients presenting large-vessel occlusion stroke due to IE were included. These cases were matched with 84 large-vessel occlusion stroke related to atrial fibrillation. Successful reperfusion (modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction 2b/3) was obtained in 85.7%. Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, favorable outcome and mortality rates were respectively 8.0%, 25.9%, and 25.9%. In the case–control analysis, we demonstrated no difference in terms of successful reperfusion, procedural complication, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, and mortality rates. Three-month favorable outcome was less often achieved in the infective endocarditis group.

Conclusions

Mechanical thrombectomy of infective endocarditis patients presents similar safety and angiographic results compared to patients suffering from atrial fibrillation.

Neurological Complications of Infective Endocarditis

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The purpose of this narrative review and update is to summarize the current knowledge and provide recent advances on the neurologic complications of infective endocarditis.

RECENT FINDINGS

Neurological complications occur in about one-fourth of patients with infective endocarditis. Brain MRI represents a major tool for the identification of asymptomatic lesions, which occur in most of the patients with infective endocarditis. The usefulness of systematic brain imaging and the preferred treatment of patients with infective endocarditis and silent brain lesions remains uncertain. The basis of treatment of infective endocarditis is early antimicrobial therapy. In stroke due to infective endocarditis, anticoagulation and thrombolysis should be avoided. Endovascular treatment can be useful for both acute septic emboli and mycotic aneurysms, but evidence is still limited. In patients with neurological complications, cardiac surgery can be safely performed early, if indicated. The optimal management of a patients with neurological complications of infective endocarditis needs an individualized case discussion and the participation of a multidisciplinary team including neurologists, cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, neuroradiologists, neurosurgeons, and infectious disease specialists.

[Stroke due to infective endocarditis diagnosed by the retrieved thrombus: a case report]

A 80-years-old woman suddenly presented with aphasia, right hemiparesis, and dysesthesia. MRA showed the left middle cerebral artery occlusion. She was diagnosed as hyperacute ischemic stroke. She was treated with intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator and underwent endovascular thrombectomy. On admission, she had a fever and high C reactive protein, and was treated with antibiotic therapy. The pathological diagnosis of the retrieved thrombus revealed the cluster of the gram positive cocci. The blood culture was negative and thransthoracic echocardiogram did not detect the vegetation. She was finally diagnosed as cardioembolic stroke due to infective endocarditis based on the pathological diagnosis of the retrieved thrombus. The pathological diagnosis of the retrieved thrombus was quite important to clarify the cause of ischemic stroke.

Neurologic Complications of Infective Endocarditis: Recent Findings

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The purpose of this paper is to provide recent insights in management of neurologic complications of left-sided infective endocarditis (IE).

RECENT FINDINGS

Cerebral lesions observed in IE patients are thought to involve synergistic pathophysiological mechanisms including thromboembolism, sepsis, meningitis, and small-vessel cerebral vasculitis. Brain MRI represents a major tool for the detection of asymptomatic events occurring in the majority of patients. The latter can impact therapeutic decisions and prognosis, especially when cardiac surgery is indicated. In patients presenting with neurologic complications, surgery could be safely performed earlier than previously thought. Symptomatic cerebral ischemic or hemorrhagic events occur in 20-55% of IE patients, whereas asymptomatic events are detected in 60-80% of patients undergoing systematic brain MRI. Management of such patients requires an experienced multidisciplinary team. Recent studies suggest that early cardiac surgery, when indicated, can be performed safely in patients with cerebral ischemic events. Other important issues include the appropriate use of anti-infective and anti-thrombotic agents, and endovascular treatment for mycotic aneurysms. Altered mental status at IE onset, which is associated with brain injury, is a major determinant of short-term outcome.

Intra-Arterial Mechanical Thrombectomy: An Effective Treatment for Ischemic Stroke Caused by Endocarditis

Patients with stroke secondary to infectious endocarditis have a high in-hospital morbidity and mortality, with only one-third becoming functionally independent. Infective endocarditis is usually considered a relative contraindication to thrombolytic therapy. We describe 3 consecutive cases of acute middle cerebral artery occlusion due to infective endocarditis, who were all successfully treated with intra-arterial mechanical thrombectomy using the Solitaire device. From this limited experience, mechanical thrombectomy could be used as an effective acute treatment for ischemic stroke in patients with infective endocarditis. Mechanical thrombectomy is most likely a more effective and safer treatment than intravenous thrombolysis in this patient group.

Scientific Rationale for the Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria for Intravenous Alteplase in Acute Ischemic Stroke

Purpose—

To critically review and evaluate the science behind individual eligibility criteria (indication/inclusion and contraindications/exclusion criteria) for intravenous recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (alteplase) treatment in acute ischemic stroke. This will allow us to better inform stroke providers of quantitative and qualitative risks associated with alteplase administration under selected commonly and uncommonly encountered clinical circumstances and to identify future research priorities concerning these eligibility criteria, which could potentially expand the safe and judicious use of alteplase and improve outcomes after stroke.

Methods—

Writing group members were nominated by the committee chair on the basis of their previous work in relevant topic areas and were approved by the American Heart Association Stroke Council’s Scientific Statement Oversight Committee and the American Heart Association’s Manuscript Oversight Committee. The writers used systematic literature reviews, references to published clinical and epidemiology studies, morbidity and mortality reports, clinical and public health guidelines, authoritative statements, personal files, and expert opinion to summarize existing evidence and to indicate gaps in current knowledge and, when appropriate, formulated recommendations using standard American Heart Association criteria. All members of the writing group had the opportunity to comment on and approved the final version of this document. The document underwent extensive American Heart Association internal peer review, Stroke Council Leadership review, and Scientific Statements Oversight Committee review before consideration and approval by the American Heart Association Science Advisory and Coordinating Committee.

Results—

After a review of the current literature, it was clearly evident that the levels of evidence supporting individual exclusion criteria for intravenous alteplase vary widely. Several exclusionary criteria have already undergone extensive scientific study such as the clear benefit of alteplase treatment in elderly stroke patients, those with severe stroke, those with diabetes mellitus and hyperglycemia, and those with minor early ischemic changes evident on computed tomography. Some exclusions such as recent intracranial surgery are likely based on common sense and sound judgment and are unlikely to ever be subjected to a randomized, clinical trial to evaluate safety. Most other contraindications or warnings range somewhere in between. However, the differential impact of each exclusion criterion varies not only with the evidence base behind it but also with the frequency of the exclusion within the stroke population, the probability of coexistence of multiple exclusion factors in a single patient, and the variation in practice among treating clinicians.

Forced arterial suction thrombectomy of septic embolic middle cerebral artery occlusion due to infective endocarditis: an illustrative case and review of the literature

In acute ischemic stroke patients with major intracranial vessel occlusion due to infective endocarditis, treatment modalities are not well established. A 40-year-old woman presented with acute stroke due to left middle cerebral artery occlusion. She was successfully treated with intra-arterial mechanical thrombectomy, and the subsequent clinical outcome was favorable. Pathological analysis of the retrieved clots showed septic thrombi containing gram-positive cocci. Based on literature review and the present case regarding treatment strategies for patients with septic embolic stroke, pharmacological thrombolysis might increase the risk of hemorrhagic complications, which might alter clinical outcome. Therefore, we can consider intra-arterial mechanical thrombectomy as a first-line treatment option in patients with acute stroke resulting from infective endocarditis.

Stroke: an update

Cerebrovascular diseases are one of the favorite topics of manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Neurology. In this summary paper, we briefly present those manuscripts that in our opinion were most relevant in selected areas of vascular diseases of the brain.

Neurological complications of infective endocarditis: new breakthroughs in diagnosis and management

Neurological complications are frequent in infective endocarditis (IE) and increase morbidity and mortality rates. A wide spectrum of neurological disorders may be observed, including stroke or transient ischemic attack, cerebral hemorrhage, mycotic aneurysm, meningitis, cerebral abscess, or encephalopathy. Most complications occur early during the course of IE and are a hallmark of left-sided abnormalities of native or prosthetic valves. Ischemic lesions account for 40% to 50% of IE central nervous system complications. Systematic brain MRI may reveal cerebral abnormalities in up to 80% of patients, including cerebral embolism in 50%, mostly asymptomatic. Neurological complications affect both medical and surgical treatment and should be managed by an experimented multidisciplinary team including cardiologists, neurologists, intensive care specialists, and cardiac surgeons. Oral anticoagulant therapy given to patients presenting with cerebral ischemic lesions should be replaced by unfractionated heparin for at least 2 weeks, with a close monitoring of coagulation tests. Recently published data suggest that after an ischemic stroke, surgery indicated for heart failure, uncontrolled infection, abscess, or persisting high emboli risk should not be delayed, provided that the patient is not comatose or has no severe deficit. Surgery should be postponed for 2 to 3 weeks for patients with intracranial hemorrhage. Endovascular treatment is recommended for cerebral mycotic aneurysms, if there is no severe mass effect. Recent data suggests that neurological failure, which is associated with the location and extension of brain injury, is a major determinant for short-term prognosis.