Clinical frailty and outcome after mechanical thrombectomy for stroke in patients aged > 80 years

Objectives: Data concerning the results of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) in old patients is still limited. We aimed to investigate the outcomes in thrombectomytreated ischemic stroke patients aged > 80 years, focusing on frailty as a contributing factor. Patients and methods: We performed a single-centre retrospective cohort study with 159 consecutive patients aged > 80 years and treated with EVT for acute ischemic stroke between January 1st 2016 and December 31st 2019. Pre-admission frailty was assessed with the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS). Patients with CFS > 5 were defined as frail. The main outcome was very poor outcome defined as mRS 46 at three months after EVT. Secondary outcomes were recanalization status, symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage (sICH), and one-year survival. Finally, we recorded if the patient returned home within 12 months. Results: Very poor outcome was observed in 57.9% of all patients (52.4% in non-frail and 79.4% in frail patients). Rates of recanalization and sICH were comparable in frail and non-frail patients. Of all patients, 46.5% were able to live at home within 1 year after stroke. One-year survival was 59.1% (65.6% in non-frail and 35.3% in frail patients). In logistic regression analysis higher admission NIHSS, not performing thrombolysis, lack of recanalization and higher frailty status were all independently associated with very poor three-month outcome. Factors associated with one-year mortality were male gender, not performing thrombolysis, sICH, and higher frailty status. Conclusion: Almost 60% of studied patients had very poor outcome. Frailty significantly increases the likelihood of very poor outcome and death after EVT-treated stroke.(c) 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Peer reviewe

Surviving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest : The neurological and functional outcome and health-related quality of life one year later

Background: Data on long-term functional outcome and quality of life (QoL) after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) are limited. We assessed long-term functional outcome and health-related QoL of OHCA survivors regardless of arrest aetiology. Methods: All adult unconscious OHCA patients treated in 21 Finnish ICUs between March 2010 and February 2011 were followed. Barthel Index (BI), activities of daily living (ADL), accommodation, help needed and received, working status, car driving and self-experienced cognitive deficits were assessed in 1-year survivors (N = 206, 40.9% of the original FINNRESUSCI cohort) with a structured telephone interview. Health-related QoL and more complex ADL-functions were evaluated by EQ-5D and instrumental ADL questionnaires. Results: Good outcome, defined as Cerebral Performance Categories 1 or 2, had been reached by 90.3% of survivors. The median BI score was 100, and 91.3% of survivors were independent in basic ADL-functions. The great majority of survivors were living at home, only 8.7% lived in a sheltered home or needed institutionalized care. Of home-living survivors 71.4% scored high in instrumental ADL assessment. The majority (72.6%) of survivors who were working previously had returned to work. Health-related QoL was similar as in age-and gender-adjusted Finnish population. Conclusions: Long-term functional outcome was good in over 90% of patients surviving OHCA, with health-related quality of life similar to that of an age and gender matched population.Peer reviewe

Comparison of automated infarct core volume measures between non-contrast computed tomography and perfusion imaging in acute stroke code patients evaluated for potential endovascular treatment

Introduction: Patients with small core infarction and salvageable penumbra are likely to benefit from endovascular treatment (EVT). As computed tomography perfusion imaging (CTP) is not always available 24/7 for patient selection, many patients are transferred to stroke centers for CTP. We compared automatically measured infarct core volume (NCCTcore) from the non-contrast computed tomography (NCCT) with ischemic core volume (CTPcore) from CTP and the outcome of EVT to clarify if NCCTcore measurement alone is sufficient to identify patients that benefit from transfer to stroke centers for EVT. Patients and methods: We included all consecutive stroke-code patients imaged with both NCCT and CTP at Helsinki University Hospital during 9/2016-01/2018. NCCTcore and CTPcore volumes were automatically calculated from the acute NCCT images. Follow-up infarct volume (FIV) was measured from 24 h follow-up NCCT to evaluate efficacy of EVT. To study whether NCCTcore could be used to identify patients eligible to EVT, we subgrouped patients based on NCCTcore volumes (>50 mL and > 70 mL). Results: Out of 1743 patients, baseline NCCTcore, CTPcore and follow-up NCCT was available for 288 patients. Median time from symptom onset to baseline imaging was 74 min (IQR 52-118), and time to follow-up imaging 24.15 h (22.25-26.33). Baseline NCCTcore was 20 mL (10-42), CTPcore 4 mL (0-16), and FIV 5 mL (1-49). Out of 288 patients, 23 had NCCTcore > 70 mL and 26 had CTPcore > 70 mL. NCCTcore and CTPcore performed similarly well in predicting large FIV (>70 ml). Conclusion: NCCTcore is a promising tool to identify patients that are not eligible to EVT due to large ischemic cores at baseline imaging.Peer reviewe

IV Thrombolysis-Bridging and Endovascular Treatment for Occlusive Internal Carotid Artery Dissection with Tandem Occlusion

Compared to other etiologies of ischemic stroke, occlusive internal carotid artery dissection responds worse to intravenous (IV) thrombolysis. Intracranial tandem occlusion is a predictor of poor outcome. A direct endovascular approach has been proposed as a safe and probably superior alternative to IV thrombolysis. However, it may lead to considerable treatment delays. We used rapidly initiated IV thrombolysis-bridging and subsequent endovascular treatment in two patients with severe hemispheric ischemia due to occlusive internal carotid artery dissection with tandem occlusion and achieved good outcomes. Minimizing recanalization times likely improves patient outcome and IV thrombolysis-bridging may be a reasonable strategy to achieve this. The positive initial results obtained with endovascular approaches and IV thrombolysis-bridging in this patient group deserve further scientific exploration

Long-term cognitive functioning is impaired in ICU-treated COVID-19 patients : a comprehensive controlled neuropsychological study

Publisher Copyright: © 2022, The Author(s).Background: Cognitive impairment has emerged as a common post-acute sequela of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We hypothesised that cognitive impairment exists in patients after COVID-19 and that it is most severe in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: This prospective controlled cohort study of 213 participants performed at the Helsinki University Hospital and the University of Helsinki, Finland, comprised three groups of patients—ICU-treated (n = 72), ward-treated (n = 49), and home-isolated (n = 44)—with confirmed COVID-19 between March 13 and December 31, 2020, participating in a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation six months after the acute phase. Our study included a control group with no history of COVID-19 (n = 48). Medical and demographic data were collected from electronic patient records and interviews carried out four months after the acute phase. Questionnaires filled six months after the acute phase provided information about change in cognitive functioning observed by a close informant, as well as the presence of self-reported depressive and post-traumatic symptoms. Results: The groups differed (effect size η2p = 0.065, p = 0.004) in the total cognitive score, calculated from neuropsychological measures in three domains (attention, executive functions, and memory). Both ICU-treated (p = 0.011) and ward-treated patients (p = 0.005) performed worse than home-isolated patients. Among those with more than 12 years of education, ICU-treated patients performed worse in the attention domain than ward-treated patients (p = 0.021) or non-COVID controls (p = 0.045); ICU-treated male patients, in particular, were impaired in executive functions (p = 0.037). Conclusions: ICU-treated COVID-19 patients, compared to patients with less severe acute COVID-19 or non-COVID controls, showed more severe long-term cognitive impairment. Among those with more than 12 years of education, impairment existed particularly in the domains of attention and for men, of executive functions. Trial registration number: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04864938, retrospectively registered February 9, 2021.Peer reviewe

Is infarct core growth linear? Infarct volume estimation by computed tomography perfusion imaging

Objectives Current guidelines for recanalization treatment are based on the time elapsed between symptom onset and treatment and visualization of existing penumbra in computed tomography perfusion (CTP) imaging. The time window for treatment options relies on linear growth of infarction although individual infarct growth rate may vary. We aimed to test how accurately the estimated follow-up infarct volume (eFIV) can be approximated by using a linear growth model based on CTP baseline imaging. If eFIV did not fall within the margins of +/- 19% of the follow-up infarct volume (FIV) measured at 24 h from non-enhanced computed tomography images, the results would imply that the infarct growth is not linear. Materials and Methods All consecutive endovascularly treated (EVT) patients from 11/2015 to 9/2019 at the Helsinki University Hospital with large vessel occlusion (LVO), CTP imaging, and known time of symptom onset were included. Infarct growth rate was assumed to be linear and calculated by dividing the ischemic core volume (CTPcore) by the time from symptom onset to baseline imaging. eFIV was calculated by multiplying the infarct growth rate with the time from baseline imaging to recanalization or in case of futile recanalization to follow-up imaging at 24 h, limited to the penumbra. Collateral flow was estimated by calculating hypoperfusion intensity ratio (HIR). Results Of 5234 patients, 48 had LVO, EVT, CTP imaging, and known time of symptom onset. In 40/48 patients (87%), infarct growth was not linear. HIR did not differ between patients with linear and nonlinear growth (p > .05). As expected, in over half of the patients with successful recanalization eFIV exceeded FIV. Conclusions Infarct growth was not linear in most patients and thus time elapsed from symptom onset and CTPcore appear to be insufficient parameters for clinical decision-making in EVT candidates.Peer reviewe

Recanalization treatment for acute ischemic stroke: 3-month outcome before and after implementation of routine endovascular treatment

Peer reviewe

Lower heart rate is associated with good one-year outcome in post-resuscitation patients

Background: Optimal hemodynamic goals in post-resuscitation patients are not clear. Previous studies have reported an association between lower heart rate and good outcome in patients receiving targeted temperature management (TTM) after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Methods: We analyzed heart rate (HR) and outcome data of 504 post-resuscitation patients from the prospectively collected database of the FINNRESUSCI study. One-year neurologic outcome was dichotomized by the Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) to good (1-2) or poor (3-5). Results: Of 504 patients, 40.1% (202/504) had good and 59.9% (302/504) had poor one-year neurologic outcome. Patients with good outcome had lower time-weighted mean HR during the first 48 h in the ICU (69.2 bpm [59.2-75.1] vs. 76.6 bpm [65.72-89.6], p <0.001) and the first 72 h in the ICU (71.2 bpm [65.0-79.0] vs. 77.1 bpm [69.1-90.1, p <0.001]). The percentage of HR registrations below HR threshold values (60, 80 and 100 bpm) were higher for patients with good neurologic outcome, p <0.001 for all. Lower time-weighted HR for 0-48 h and 0-72 h, and a higher percentage of HR recordings below threshold values were independently associated with good neurological one-year outcome (p <0.05 for all). When TTM and non-TTM patients were analyzed separately, HR parameters were independently associated with one-year neurologic outcome only in non-TTM patients. Conclusion: Lower heart rate was independently associated with good neurologic outcome. Whether HR in post-resuscitation patients is a prognostic indicator or an important variable to be targeted by treatment, needs to be assessed in future prospective controlled clinical trials.Peer reviewe

Is the weekend effect true in acute stroke patients at tertiary stroke center?

Background: There is contradicting evidence on the outcome of emergency patients treated during weekends versus weekdays. We studied if outcome of ischemic stroke patients receiving intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) differs according to the treatment time. Methods: Our retrospective study included consecutive patients receiving IVT within 4.5 h of stroke onset between June 1995 and December 2018 at the Helsinki University Hospital. The patients were compared based on the treatment initiation either during weekdays (Monday to Friday) or weekend (Saturday and Sunday). The primary outcome was 3-month mortality and secondary outcomes comprised 3-month modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and incidence of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH). Additional analyses studied the effect of IVT treatment according to non-office hours, time of day, and season. Results: Of the 3980 IVT-treated patients, 28.0% received treatment during weekends. Mortality was similar after weekend (10.0%) and weekday (10.6%) admissions in the multivariable regression analysis (OR 0.78; 95% CI 0.59-1.03). Neither 3-month mRS (OR 0.98; 95% CI 0.86-1.12), nor the occurrence of sICH (4.2% vs 4.6%; OR 0.87; 95% CI 0.60-1.26) differed between the groups. No outcome difference was observed between the office vs non-office hours or by the time of day. However, odds for worse outcome were higher during autumn (OR 1.19; 95% CI 1.04-1.35) and winter (OR 1.15; 95% CI 1.01-1.30). Conclusion: We did not discover any weekend effect for IVT-treated stroke patients. This confirms that with standardized procedures, an equal quality of care can be provided to patients requiring urgent treatment irrespective of time.Peer reviewe

Thrombolysis in stroke patients with elevated inflammatory markers

Objective To investigate the prognostic value of white blood cell count (WBC) on functional outcome, mortality and bleeding risk in stroke patients treated with intravenous thrombolysis (IVT). Methods In this prospective multicenter study from the TRISP registry, we assessed the association between WBC on admission and 3-month poor outcome (modified Rankin Scale 3-6), mortality and occurrence of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH; ECASS-II-criteria) in IVT-treated stroke patients. WBC was used as continuous and categorical variable distinguishing leukocytosis (WBC > 10 x 10(9)/l) and leukopenia (WBC 10 mg/l) on outcomes. Results Of 10,813 IVT-treated patients, 2527 had leukocytosis, 112 leukopenia and 8174 normal WBC. Increasing WBC (by 1 x 10(9)/l) predicted poor outcome (ORadjusted 1.04[1.02-1.06]) but not mortality and sICH. Leukocytosis was independently associated with poor outcome (ORadjusted 1.48[1.29-1.69]) and mortality (ORadjusted 1.60[1.35-1.89]) but not with sICH (ORadjusted 1.17[0.94-1.45]). Leukopenia did not predict any outcome. In a subgroup, combined leukocytosis and elevated CRP had the strongest association with poor outcome (ORadjusted 2.26[1.76-2.91]) and mortality (ORadjusted 2.43[1.86-3.16]) when compared to combined normal WBC and CRP. Conclusion In IVT-treated patients, leukocytosis independently predicted poor functional outcome and death. Bleeding complications after IVT were not independently associated with leukocytosis.Peer reviewe