Arabic cross cultural adaptation and validation of the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale

Bacterial stroke-associated pneumonia: microbiological analysis and mortality outcome

BACKGROUND

Stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP) considerably burden healthcare systems. This study aimed to identify predictors of developing SAP in acute ischemic stroke patients admitted to the Stroke Unit at Manial Specialized Hospital factors with microbiological causality and impact on 30-day mortality.

METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study. All patients with acute ischemic stroke admitted to the Stroke Unit at Manial Specialized Hospital (from February 2021 to August 2023) were divided into the SAP and non-SAP groups. Detailed clinical characteristics and microbiological results were recorded.

RESULTS

Five hundred twenty-two patients diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke (mean age of 55 ± 10) were included. One hundred sixty-nine (32.4%) of stroke patients developed SAP; Klebsiella pneumoniae was the most commonly detected pathogen (40.2%), followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (20.7%). Bacteremia was identified in nine cases (5.3%). The number of deaths was 11, all of whom were diagnosed with SAP, whereas none from the non-SAP group died (P < 0.001). The binary logistic regression model identified three independent predictors of the occurrence of SAP: previous history of TIA/stroke (OR = 3.014, 95%CI = 1.281-7.092), mechanical ventilation (OR = 4.883, 95%CI = 1.544-15.436), and bulbar dysfunction (OR = 200.460, 95%CI = 80.831-497.143).

CONCLUSIONS

Stroke-associated pneumonia was reported in one-third of patients with acute ischemic stroke, adversely affecting mortality outcomes. Findings showed that the main predictors of SAP were bulbar dysfunction, the use of mechanical ventilation and previous history of TIA/stroke. More attention to these vulnerable patients is necessary to reduce mortality.

New Picture Stimuli for the NIH Stroke Scale: A Validation Study

BACKGROUND

The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale is a widely accepted tool for structured graded neurological examination of stroke or suspected stroke in the hyperacute setting. Concerns have arisen about the use of its picture stimuli in a contemporary and global health context. Here, we present new stimuli prepared to serve the needs of stroke providers worldwide: the precarious painter image description and updated objects for naming.

METHODS

This was a validation study of 101 healthy fluent English speakers. Participants were reached by the Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center, the University of South Carolina, and Prisma Health from 2022 to 2023 and included residents of the United States, Germany, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Zambia. Participants were recorded in person or via video conferencing when asked to describe the new picture, while a subset named seven illustrations. Multivariate analyses of variance were used for primary analyses. In a complementary investigation, 299 attendees of the 2023 International Stroke Conference were asked about their preference for the existing or new stimuli and why.

RESULTS

Each of the 44 content units from the picture description was included by at least 5% of respondents in the demographically representative subsample. Performance was similar across healthy participants irrespective of age, sex, race, ethnicity, or education. Typical descriptions were characterized by an average of 23 content units (SD=5) conveyed with 167 syllables (SD=79). The new naming stimuli were recognized by 100% of participants from many countries as being familiar and identifiable, and names provided in response to the task were highly convergent. The majority of stroke health care providers preferred both the precarious painter and naming stimuli.

CONCLUSIONS

The description of the new National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale picture, the precarious painter, results in rich samples among healthy speakers that will provide an appropriate basis for the detection of language deficits.

Frequency, characteristics, and predictors of headache attributed to acute ischemic stroke

OBJECTIVES

Although headache is a common symptom in acute ischemic stroke, the clinical and radiological factors associated with its occurrence are controversial. This work aimed to determine the frequency, characteristics, and predictors of headache occurrence among patients with acute ischemic stroke.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 303 patients with acute ischemic stroke. The patients were submitted to detailed history taking, clinical and radiological assessment. A detailed analysis of headache was performed for the patients who experienced headache temporally related to stroke onset.

RESULTS

Diagnosis of headache attributed to the ischemic stroke was established in 129 (42.6%) patients; sentinel headache in 17.2% of patients, and headache at stroke onset in 25.4% of patients. The headache group had a significantly younger age (P=0.017), lower NIHSS score (P=0.042), higher frequency of pre-existing headache disorders (P=0.001), substance use disorder (P=0.021), and fever (P=0.036), and lower frequency of chronic hypertension (P=0.013) and small vessel disease (P=0.004) than non-headache group. Infarction involving posterior circulation was more frequent in headache than in non-headache groups (P=0.003). The presence of migraine, tension-type headache, other types of headache, fever and posterior circulation stroke increased the odds of headache by 27.4 (95%CI=8.0-94.4), 7.6 (95%CI=3.93-14.6), 26.2 (95%CI=8.0-85.8), 3.75 (95%CI=1.22-11.6) and 3.15 (95%CI=1.65-6.0) times, respectively, whereas, the presence of small vessel disease decreased the odds of headache by 0.51 (95%CI=0.279-0.95) times.

CONCLUSION

Pre-existing headache disorder, fever, and posterior circulation stroke were associated with headache occurrence in acute ischemic stroke patients.

National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale: comparison of original and modified versions for Singapore culture

Introduction

The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), originally designed in the United States of America, contains items on dysphasia and dysarthria that are deemed culturally unsuitable for the Singapore context. We compared the error rates of dysphasia objects, dysphasia phrases and dysarthria words between the original and alternative items in a cohort of Singaporean subjects without dysphasia or dysarthria.

Methods

In this prospective study, 140 English-speaking Singaporean subjects without impairments of dysphasia or dysarthria had an assessment of NIHSS items 9 and 10 using the original and alternative items. Paired analyses were conducted for comparison of error rates.

Results

The error rates were high for four original dysphasia objects (Hammock: 62.9%, Cactus: 38.6%, Feather: 23.6%, Glove: 20.7%) and significantly lower for alternative items (Snail: 5%, Horse: 1.4%, Hanger: 1.4%, Car: 0%) (P < 0.001). For dysphasia phrases and dysarthria words, the error rates were low and there were no differences in error rates between the original and alternative items.

Conclusion

There are cultural issues with several dysphasia objects in the original NIHSS as evidenced by the high error rates, which were lowered with more culturally suitable alternatives. This study formed a basis to derive a more suitable version of the NIHSS for English-speaking subjects in Singapore.

Factors associated with cognitive impairment at 3, 6, and 12 months after the first stroke among Lebanese survivors

INTRODUCTION

This study aimed to calculate the rate of post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) by evaluating the cognitive domains among Lebanese stroke survivors at 3, 6, and 12 months post-stroke, and to identify the contributing factors including pre- and post-stroke related factors.

METHODS

A multicenter longitudinal prospective study was conducted in 10 hospitals from Beirut and Mount Lebanon for a 15-month period. Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), modified Rankin Scale (mRS), Short Form Health Survey (SF12), National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were used to assess cognitive function, disability degree, Quality of Life (QoL), stroke severity, and levels of anxiety and depression, respectively. Then, univariate and multivariable analyses were performed to identify the predictors of PSCI.

RESULTS

Low MMSE scores were found among survivors during the first 3 months post-stroke (74.8%) of whom 53.7% presented with an MMSE ≤ 17, followed by 46.7% in the 6 months, and 37.6% at 12 months post-stroke. Follow-up comparisons showed a significant increase of MMSE scores over time (p < .001), indicating a 37% improvement of the cognitive function over time. The most affected cognitive domain was the attention and concentration at the three time points. Independent factors that were positively associated with low MMSE scores were as follows: sedentary behavior ≥ 12 h/day (AOR = 3.062, p = .033), involvement of the left hemisphere (AOR = 2.710, p = .006), HADS ≥ 11 (AOR = 2.536, p = .049), and high NIHSS scores (AOR = 3, p = .009). Age was the main predictor in the three time periods (AOR ≈ 3, p < .05). Inversely, female gender (AOR = 0.09, p = .027), high educational level (AOR = 0.2, p < .02), employment post-stroke (AOR = 0.3, p = .023), high Physical Component Summary (PCS) of Quality of Life (QoL) (AOR = 0.8, p < .001), and the use of anti-diabetic treatment post-stroke (AOR = 0.17, p = .016) improved MMSE scores to > 23.

CONCLUSION

The risk of PSCI among Lebanese stroke survivors was high especially in the acute phase, depending on various determinants. Health care providers are invited to implement an emergency rehabilitation program for an appropriate successful management of the risk factors in order to reduce stroke burden and to improve overall cognitive performance.

NIHSS is deficient in acute stroke presenting with cortical deafness; clinical skills remain the backbone: a case report

Background

National institutes of health stroke scale (NIHSS) is used, since its appearance in analysis of stroke in any national or international single center or multicenter study. It is also the golden standard assessment scale for stroke patients whether by emergency medical services on the way to hospital or by emergency room staff and by neurologists whether juniors or senior consultants. Yet, it is not capable of identifying all stroke cases. Along the current case report a relatively rare case of cortical deafness is presented highlighting its rarity and its vascular mechanism as well as how defective is NIHSS in recognizing it.

Case presentation

72-year-old female patient presented with sudden episodic less than 60 min duration of bilateral deafness; initial imaging showed right hemispheric encephalomalacia of old stroke. Patient was initially managed as psychogenic case especially that her NIHSS was zero. On returning again to emergency room she was administered thrombolysis and regained full hearing power. Follow-up imaging revealed a new ischemic stroke along her left auditory cortex explaining her cortical deafness.

Conclusion

Cortical deafness might be missed especially that NIHSS does not detect it. NIHSS role as the only golden standard scale for diagnosing and following up stroke cases ought to be revised.

One-year recurrence of stroke and death in Lebanese survivors of first-ever stroke: Time-to-Event analysis

BACKGROUND

To date, despite the application of secondary prevention worldwide, first-ever stroke survivors remain at imminent risk of stroke recurrence and death in the short and long term. The present study aimed to assess the cumulative risk rates and identify baseline differences and stroke characteristics of Lebanese survivors.

METHODS

A prospective longitudinal study was conducted among survivors ≥18 years old who were followed-up for 15 months through a face-to-face interview. Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the cumulative rates of stroke mortality and recurrence. Cox-regression univariate and multivariable analyses were performed to identify the predictors of both outcomes.

RESULTS

Among 150 subjects (mean age 74 ± 12 years; 58.7% men vs. 44.3% women; 95.3% with ischemic stroke vs. 4.3% with intracerebral hemorrhage), high cumulative risk rates of stroke recurrence (25%) and death (21%) were highlighted, especially in the acute phase. Survival rates were lesser in patients with stroke recurrence compared to those without recurrence (Log rank test p < 0.001). Older age was the main predictor for both outcomes (p < 0.02). Large artery atherosclerosis was predominant in patients with stroke recurrence and death compared to small vessel occlusion (p < 0.02). Higher mental component summary scores of quality of life were inversely associated with stroke recurrence (p < 0.01). Lebanese survivors exhibited the highest percentages of depression and anxiety; elevated Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) scores were seen in those with stroke recurrence and those who died (≥80% with mean HADS scores ≥8). Lower Mini-Mental State Examination scores at the acute phase increased the risk of both outcomes by 10% (p < 0.03). Three out of 13 mortalities (23.1%) were presented with early epileptic seizures (p = 0.012). High educational level was the protective factor against stroke recurrence (p = 0.019). Administration of intravenous thrombolysis decreased the risk of both outcomes by 10% (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Higher rates of stroke recurrence and death were observed in the first year following a stroke in Lebanon. Various factors were identified as significant determinants. Thus, health care providers and officials in Lebanon can use these findings to implement effective preventive strategies to best address the management of these factors to reduce the stroke burden and improve the short and long-term prognosis of stroke survivors.

Bias in Stroke Evaluation: Rethinking the Cookie Theft Picture

Despite a current emphasis on equity in stroke care, one of the most common stroke assessment tools that is used both nationally and internationally, includes an anachronistic image that projects cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic bias. This image, titled The Cookie Theft picture, is included in the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and was originally developed in 1972. Now, 50 years later, it does not reflect our current diverse, linguistically rich, and multicultural patient population.

Omentin-1: a biomarker in large artery ischaemic stroke patients

Background

Omentin-1 is a novel adipocytokine that is related to atherosclerosis-based ischaemic cardiovascular disease and stroke. Previous studies have linked its lower levels with poor stroke outcomes. We aimed to assess the level of serum omentin-1 as a prognostic marker in patients with large artery ischaemic stroke.

Methods

Fifty ischaemic stroke patients suffering large artery ischaemic stroke and another 50 subjects without a prior history of strokes were recruited. All participants were subjected to neurological examinations, echocardiography and laboratory investigations including a lipid profile and HBA1c. Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) was measured for all participants. Stroke patients were evaluated by the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and the modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Infarction volume was measured by magnetic resonance image (MRI) and serum level of omentin-1 was gauged for all participants.

Results

Carotid IMT significantly increased in stroke patients compared to control subjects. While serum omentin-1 levels were higher in control non-diabetic subjects, they were lower in diabetic patients with ischaemic stroke. Serum omentin-1 levels were inversely correlated with NIHSS, carotid IMT, infarction volume and mRS scores in all stroke patients. Serum omentin-1 level less than 24.5 ng/ml showed 93.7%sensitivity and 44.4% specificity in prediction of poor stroke outcome while values less than 27.8 ng/ml in non-diabetic stroke patients had sensitivity and specificity with 87.5% and 55.6% respectively.

Conclusion

Lower levels of serum omentin-1 are associated with increased ischaemic stroke severity and poor functional outcome.

Psychological Complications at 3 Months Following Stroke: Prevalence and Correlates Among Stroke Survivors in Lebanon

Introduction: Stroke continues to be a common and debilitating medical condition which has a significant effect on public health as the second primary source of mortality and the third major root of disability worldwide. A wide range of complications affecting the survivor's life and interfering with the recovery process usually follows stroke; anxiety and depression are considered one of the major complications post-stroke. This study sought to investigate the short-term psychological consequences of stroke among Lebanese survivors and to identify their correlates.

Methods: This study is a prospective observational epidemiological study. 143 stroke patients admitted to hospitals in Mount Lebanon and Beirut between February and May 2018.were included in this study. Assessments of complications were carried out at 3 months post-stroke by completing a 30-min face-to-face interview questionnaire. The survey included the socio-demographic -characteristics of the patients, their lifestyle, health indicators, the severity of stroke, and the post-stroke consequences disturbing their quality of life.

Results: Complications were recorded for 117 stroke survivors (mean age, 72.46 years; 60.7% male). The analysis of results 3 months post stroke showed that 29 survivors suffered from neuropathic pain (24.8%), 110 (94%) suffered from fatigue, and 81 (69.2%) from cognitive impairment. High rates of anxiety (51.3%), and depression (76.1%) were recorded as well. Multivariate logistic regression confirmed that there is a significant association between depression and the following variables: anxiety (OR = 4.814, p-value = 0.017), pain (OR = 6.868, p-value = 0.002), and physical activity, which acts as a protective factor against depression (OR = 0.261; p-value = 0.029). However, the results of the multivariate logistic regression analysis for anxiety indicated that immobility-related complications increase the risk of anxiety by 8.457 in sedentary duration longer than 12 h (ORa = 8.457, p-value = 0.01). Furthermore, patients with neuropathic pain (24.8%) are 3.858 times more likely to have anxiety compared to patients without neuropathic pain (ORa = 3.858, p-value = 0.019).

Conclusion: Using a patient-centered structure more interventions should take place to evaluate stroke survivors' outcomes, and organize rehabilitation services that deal with stroke consequences, particularly high anxiety and depression levels, which are prevalent and persistent among the Lebanese stroke survivors.

Validation of a Polish version of the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale: Do moderate psychometric properties affect its clinical utility?

BACKGROUND

The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) is a validated tool for assessing the severity of stroke. It has been adapted into several languages; however, a Polish version with large-scale psychometric validation, including repeatability and separate assessments of anterior and posterior stroke, has not been developed. We aimed to adapt and validate a Polish version of the NIHSS (PL-NIHSS) while focusing on the psychometric properties and site of stroke.

METHODS

The study included 225 patients with ischemic stroke (102 anterior and 123 posterior circulation stroke). Four NIHSS-certified researchers estimated stroke severity using the most appropriate scales to assess the psychometric properties (including internal consistency, homogeneity, scalability, and discriminatory power of individual items) and ultimately determine the reliability, repeatability, and validity of the PL-NIHSS.

RESULTS

The PL-NIHSS achieved Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.6885, which indicates moderate internal consistency and homogeneity. Slightly more than half of the individual items provided sufficient discriminatory power (r > 0.3). A favorable coefficient of repeatability (0.6267; 95% confidence interval: 0.5737-0.6904), narrow limits of inter-rater agreement, and excellent intraclass correlation coefficients or weighted kappa values (> 0.90), demonstrated high reliability of PL-NIHSS. Highly significant correlations with other tools confirmed the validity and predictive value of the PL-NIHSS. In posterior stroke, the PL-NIHSS achieved the required Cronbach's alpha coefficient (0.71070). Additionally, stroke location did not affect other psychometric features or instrument reliability and validity.

CONCLUSIONS

We developed a valid and reliable tool for assessing stroke severity in Polish-speaking participants. Moderate psychometric features were emphasized without limiting its clinical applications.

Detection of airway protective level of the cough reflex in acute stroke patients

Background

The most common respiratory complications in cerebrovascular strokes were respiratory infection, pulmonary edema, acute lung injury (ALI) acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and pulmonary embolism (PE). The inhalation cough challenge facilitates the quantification of cough.

Objectives

To detect the level of cough reflex that is enough to protect against respiratory infection in stroke patients, and to identify predictors of post-stroke respiratory infection.

Patients and methods

One hundred and one of cerebrovascular stroke patients were assessed in the first week of symptoms by National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) Arabic version, Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability (MASA), cough challenge test, cough flow meter, and A2DS2 score. Then, follow up after 1 week.

Results

Post-stroke respiratory infection was higher in older patients and those who were not working. Respiratory infection was significantly associated with high A2DS2 and NIHSS score (p value < 0.001). A highly significant increase in the levels of the inflammatory markers was detected in patients with a respiratory infection. Eighty percent of stroke patients with no cough developed a respiratory infection. The Mann total scores and the peak cough flow were lower in patients who had a respiratory infection.

Conclusion

Preserved cough reflex is essential in preventing aspirations and consequent respiratory infections.

Egyptian experience in increasing utilization of reperfusion therapies in acute ischemic stroke

Background The rate of alteplase (tPA) thrombolysis utilization in acute stroke in Egypt is <1%. We report on the causes of this low rate of reperfusion therapies and take corrective action to improve it. Methods Two prospective observational studies were conducted at Ain Shams University hospitals. The first included 269 acute stroke patients admitted to the hospital over a six-month period. Obstacles to reperfusion therapy were identified, and based on the results, a corrective action plan was implemented including making alteplase(tPA) available, training, and establishing a standardized local protocol for reperfusion therapy. A second study was then conducted that included 284 acute ischemic stroke patients over another six-month period. Results In the first study, 53/269 patients (19.7%) arrived at hospital within 4.5 h and were eligible for reperfusion therapy. Of those, seven (13.2%) received alteplase(tPA), representing 2.6% of the total ischemic stroke patients admitted. The main causes for not giving thrombolytic therapy was unavailability of alteplase(tPA) (56.5%), wrong treatment decision (17.4%), missed window while performing brain imaging (15%), and unavailability of intermediate care bed (10.9%). The second study showed that out of 284 cases admitted with acute ischemic stroke, 37 were eligible for thrombolysis and 35 received alteplase(tPA) (94.3%), representing 12.3% of the total ischemic stroke admissions. Conclusion A comprehensive action plan that centers around making the drug available and training resulted in a significant improvement of reperfusion therapy utilization in Egypt.