Predictive Factors for Functional Outcomes After Intravenous Thrombolytic Therapy in Acute Ischemic Stroke

Factors affecting improvement after intravenous administration of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) among patients with acute ischemic stroke: A historical cohort study

Background

One of the most effective treatments for patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) which can minimize mortality and morbidities. In this historical cohort study, we investigate the factors affecting clinical outcomes after IV thrombolysis for AIS.

Methods

We included 87 patients with acute ischemic stroke who were treated with rtPA between 2015 and 2019. Demographic and clinical data were recorded. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) was used to assess the clinical outcomes.

Results

36 patients showed lack of improvement at discharge. In unadjusted model, hypercholesterolemia was the only predictor of lack of improvement (P= 0.043; OR=0.304; CI= 0.096-0.963). After adjusting, hypertension (P= 0.018; OR= 0.18; CI= 0.043-0.749) and hypercholesterolemia (P= 0.008; OR= 8.68; CI= 1.773-42.54) were independent determinants of lack of clinical response. To evaluate risk factors in association with the duration of hospitalization, we found variables which lengthened hospitalization span including; age over 60 years (HR= 0.42 P= 0.002), hypercholesterolemia (HR= 2.19 P= 0.031), Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) Inhibitors consumption (HR= 1.87 P= 0.022), and type of infarction (non-lacunar) (HR= 0.51 P= 0.026). Results indicated no considerable relationship between dose of rtPA and the appropriate response to treatment (OR=8.686 P= 0.324).

Conclusion

The closer dose of rtPA goes up to standard range, the more chance of improvement will gain without increasing the risk of symptomatic intra-cerebral hemorrhage (SICH). Determining factors involved in intravenous reperfusion outcomes help physicians to identify the patients who benefit the most from rtPA.

Determinants of 1-Year Unfavorable Outcomes of Intravenous Alteplase Thrombolysis for Acute Ischemic Stroke

OBJECTIVE

Intravenous thrombolytic therapy has become the standard of treatment for eligible patients with ischemic stroke. However, outcomes after receiving intravenous thrombolytic therapy vary widely. This study aims to investigate determinants of 1-year clinical outcomes of intravenous thrombolytic therapy for patients with acute ischemic stroke.

METHODS

In a prospective, observational study, patients with acute ischemic stroke treated with intravenous thrombolysis were consecutively included, and clinical information and laboratory data were collected. The patients were followed up for 12 months after onset, and the 1-year clinical outcome was evaluated using modified Rankin Scale scores. A score ≥ 3 was defined as unfavorable functional outcome. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to assess the determinants of the 1-year clinical outcomes of intravenous thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke.

RESULTS

A total of 222 patients with intravenous thrombolysis were enrolled, and we identified 58 patients (26.1%) had unfavorable functional outcomes. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that mean platelet volume-to-lymphocyte ratio (MPVLR) (odds ratio [OR] = 1.114, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.024-1.211, P = .012), atrial fibrillation (OR =  2.553, 95% CI: 1.086-6.002, P = .032), symptomatic stenosis occlusion (OR =  2.547, 95% CI: 1.269-5.110, P = .009), and baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score (OR = 1.141, 95% CI: 1.074-1.212, P < .001) were independent predictors of unfavorable functional outcomes at 1 year.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients receiving intravenous thrombolysis, we found that MPVLR, atrial fibrillation, symptomatic stenosis occlusion, and baseline NIHSS score were significant predictors of unfavorable functional outcomes at 1 year.

Prognostic nomogram for the outcomes in acute stroke patients with intravenous thrombolysis

Background and purpose

The prediction of neurological outcomes in ischemic stroke patients is very useful in treatment choices, as well as in post-stroke management. This study is to develop a convenient nomogram for the bedside evaluation of stroke patients with intravenous thrombolysis.

Materials and methods

We reviewed all enrolled stroke patients with intravenous thrombolysis retrospectively. Favorable outcome was defined as modified Rankin Score (mRs) less than 2 at 90 days post thrombolysis. We compared the clinical characteristics between patients with favorable outcome and poor outcome. Then, we applied logistic regression models and compared their predictability.

Results

A total of 918 patients were enrolled in this study, 448 patients from one hospital were included to develop a nomogram, whereas 470 patients from the other hospital were used for the external validation. Associated risk factors were identified by multivariate logistic regression. The nomogram was validated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). A nomogram was developed with baseline NIHSS, blood sugar, blood cholesterol level, part-and full anterior circulation infarction (OCSP type). The AUC was 0.767 (95% CI 0.653–0.772) and 0.836 (95% CI 0.697–0.847) in the derivation and external validation cohorts, respectively. The calibration plot for the probability of severe neurological outcome showed an optimal agreement between the prediction by nomogram and actual observation in both derivation and validation cohorts.

Conclusion

A convenient outcome evaluation nomogram for patients with intravenous thrombolysis was developed, which could be used by physicians in making clinical decisions and predicting patients’ prognosis.

Prognostic capacity of hyperdense middle cerebral artery sign in anterior circulation acute ischaemic stroke patients receiving reperfusion therapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Pre-intervention CT imaging-based biomarkers, such as hyperdense middle cerebral artery sign (HMCAS) may have a role in acute ischaemic stroke prognostication. However, the clinical utility of HMCAS in settings of reperfusion therapy and the level of prognostic association is still unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the association of HMCAS sign with clinical outcomes and its prognostic capacity in acute ischaemic stroke patients treated with reperfusion therapy. Prospective and retrospective studies from the following databases were retrieved from EMBASE, MEDLINE and Cochrane. Association of HMCAS with functional outcome, symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage (sICH) and mortality were investigated. The random effect model was used to calculate the risk ratio (RR). Subgroup analyses were performed for subgroups of patients receiving thrombolysis (tPA), mechanical thrombectomy (EVT) and/or combined therapy (tPA + EVT). HMCAS significantly increased the rate of poor functional outcome by 1.43-fold in patients (RR 1.43; 95% CI 1.30-1.57; p < 0.0001) without any significant differences in sICH rates (RR 0.91; 95% CI 0.68-1.23; p = 0.546) and mortality (RR 1.34; 95% CI 0.72-2.51; p = 354) in patients with positive HMCAS as compared to negative HMCAS. In subgroup analyses, significant association between HMCAS and 90 days functional outcome was observed in patients receiving tPA (RR 1.53; 95% CI 1.40-1.67; p < 0.0001) or both therapies (RR 1.40; 95% CI 1.08-1.80; p = 0.010). This meta-analysis demonstrated that pre-treatment HMCAS increases risk of poor functional outcomes. However, its prognostic sensitivity and specificity in predicting long-term functional outcome, mortality and sICH after reperfusion therapy is poor.

Factors Associated with Unfavorable Functional Outcomes After Intravenous Thrombolysis in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke

Purpose

Intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) has become a standard treatment for eligible ischemic stroke patients. However, functional outcomes after receiving IVT varied widely. Hence the primary goal of this study is to identify characteristics related to poor outcomes.

Patients and Methods

The study enrolled acute ischemic stroke patients aged 18 or older who received IVT within 4.5 hours after onset between January 2018 and December 2020. The data were retrospectively collected from medical records. The patients were classified as having an excellent (0–2) or poor (3–6) outcomes based on the 90-day modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the results. The predictive model was determined and developed the score using regression coefficients. The prediction power was validated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis.

Results

The study included 138 eligible participants. Forty-eight patients had unfavorable functional outcomes. With multivariable logistic regression analysis, factors significantly associated with poor outcomes were age (adjusted odds ratio (AOR), 1.03; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.99–1.07; P = 0.05), diabetes (3.96; 1.61–9.37; P = 0.003), admission National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) (1.08; 1.01–1.15; P = 0.02) and initial Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Score (ASPECTS) (0.56; 0.37–0.86; P = 0.009). The predictive model developed from the findings demonstrated good discrimination power (AuROC 0.803, 95% CI 0.728–0.877).

Conclusion

The current study found that older age, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, higher admission NIHSS, and lower ASPECTS on the initial NCCT brain were related to unfavorable functional outcomes following IVT and served as good predictors of patient functional outcomes.

Short-term outcome in ischemic stroke patients after thrombolytic therapy

Background

Stroke represents the second leading cause of death in the world after myocardial infarction. Intravenous (IV) thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (alteplase, rt-PA) is the only pharmacological therapy that was approved for treatment within 4.5 h of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) onset. We aimed to predict the 3-month outcome of AIS patients who received alteplase regarding mortality, spontaneous intra-cerebral hemorrhage (sICH), and functional outcome in comparison with non-thrombolyzed patients and to evaluate the predictors of the outcome after 3 months.

Methods

All the clinical, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores, radiological, and laboratory data of 40 AIS patients and received rt-PA during the period from 2016 to 2018 were collected and analyzed retrospectively. For comparison, 40 patients, as a control group, were selected to match the alteplase group as regards the baseline data and received regular treatment, rather than rt-PA within the first 24 h, that were obtained. The outcome of the thrombolyzed patients after 3 months was evaluated in comparison with controls by using a modified ranking scale.

Results

After a 90-day follow-up period, the death rate was slightly higher among the rt-PA group (7.5%) in comparison with the control group (5%). sICH occurred in 7.5% of the patients in the alteplase group and in 5% of the non-thrombolyzed patients; however, this difference was not significant. More patients had a favorable outcome (mRS = 0–2) in the rt-PA group than in the control group (65% vs 60%, OR 1.38, 95% CI 0.50–3.6, P = 0.51). NIHSS score on admission, body mass index (BMI) (≥ 30), and previous transient ischemic attacks (TIA)/previous ischemic stroke were significant predictors of outcome after IV thrombolysis. Age, sex, hypertension (HTN), diabetes mellitus (DM), dyslipidemia, smoking, atrial fibrillation (AF), stroke subtype, size of infarction, and hyperdense middle cerebral artery had a non-significant effect.

Conclusion

After 3 months of follow-up, rt-PA had a non-significant more increase of favorable outcome with increased risk of sICH and death than controls. Baseline NIHSS, BMI, and history of TIA or previous ischemic stroke were significant predictors of outcome after thrombolysis.

Outcomes of thrombolytic therapy in acute ischemic stroke: mothership, drip-and-ship, and ship-and-drip paradigms

Background

Chulalongkorn Stroke Center is a comprehensive stroke center (CSC) located in Bangkok, Thailand. Our stroke network consists of different levels of spoke hospitals, ranging from community hospitals where thrombolytic treatment is not available, to those capable of onsite thrombolytic therapy. This study aimed to assess the time to treatment and outcomes among acute ischemic stroke patients who received thrombolytic treatment in the Chulalongkorn Stroke Network by 1.) Direct arrival at the CSC (mothership) 2.) Telestroke-assisted thrombolytic treatment with secondary transfer to the CSC (drip-and-ship) 3.) Referral from community hospital to the CSC for thrombolytic treatment (ship-and-drip).

Methods

Acute ischemic stroke patients who received thrombolytic treatment during January 2016–December 2017 in the Chulalongkorn Stroke Network were studied. Time to treatment and clinical outcomes were compared among treatment groups.

Results

There were 273 patients in the study including 147, 87, and 39 patients in mothership, drip-and-ship, and ship-and-drip paradigms, respectively. The door-to-needle-time (DTN) and onset-to-needle-time (OTN) times were significantly longest in ship-and-drip group (146.5 ± 62/205.03 ± 44.88 mins) compared to mothership (38 ± 23/155.2 ± 60.54 mins) and drip-and-ship (63.0 ± 44/166.09 ± 87 mins), P < 0.05. There was no significant difference regarding functional independence defined by modified Rankin Scale (mRS) ≤ 2 at 3 months (P = 0.12), in-hospital mortality (P = 0.37), mortality at 3 months (P = 0.73), and symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (P = 0.24) among groups.

Conclusion

Thrombolytic treatment with drip and ship method under teleconsultation is feasible in Thailand. There was no difference of clinical outcome among the 3 treatment paradigms. However, DTN time and OTN time were longest in the ship-and-drip paradigm.