European Stroke Journal最新文献

Introduction: This multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, commissioned by South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, evaluated the effect of oxiracetam for preventing post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) and explored potential interaction with physical activity using neuroimaging.

Patients and methods: Patients at high risk of PSCI, reporting subjective cognitive decline ⩾3 months after stroke, were randomized 1:1 to receive oxiracetam or placebo for 36 weeks. Physical activity was tracked via wrist-worn actigraphy. Coprimary endpoints were changes in Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Clinical Dementia Rating-Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB). Secondary outcomes included neuropsychological assessments and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging network metrics.

Results: Of 500 enrolled participants (mean age 68.9 years; median 32 months post-stroke), 457 completed the study. There were no statistically significant differences between groups in changes in MMSE (oxiracetam: +0.13 ± 2.27 vs placebo: +0.27 ± 2.09; p = 0.49) or CDR-SB scores (-0.14 ± 0.70 vs -0.08 ± 0.80; p = 0.38). No evidence of interaction was observed between oxiracetam and physical activity. Exploratory analyses suggested favorable trends in functional segregation and CDR-SB scores among highly active oxiracetam participants.

Discussion and conclusion: Oxiracetam did not demonstrate benefit in preventing PSCI in high-risk patients. These findings support the recent regulatory decision to suspend its use in South Korea.

Introduction: Identifying patients with minor stroke is challenging in the prehospital setting due to subtle symptoms. The majority of studies evaluating prehospital stroke scales include patients with high median NIHSS at admission. ParaNASPP, a stepped-wedge cluster-randomized controlled trial found that prehospital NIHSS identified more patients with minor symptoms. Further knowledge on presenting symptoms of patients with suspected minor stroke, and the accuracy of prehospital stroke scales on minor stroke is needed.

Methods: A post-hoc analysis of data from the ParaNASPP trial describes prehospital presenting signs and symptoms of patients with suspected mild minor stroke. We defined mild minor stroke as NIHSS 0-2 at hospital admission. Furthermore, we reconstructed and evaluated nine prehospital stroke scales (NIHSS, FAST/CPSS, BE-FAST, LAPSS, MASS, MedPacs, PreHAST, and sNIHSS-EMS) in patients with mild minor stroke.

Results: Four hundred and thirty-one patients in the ParaNASPP trial had NIHSS 0-2 at hospital admission. Of these, 152 (35%) were discharged from hospital with a stroke diagnosis. When examined by paramedics, stroke patients presented with speech disturbance, facial palsy, and motor weakness in arm or leg, while stroke mimics presented with dizziness, headache, and nausea/vomiting. NIHSS had the highest sensitivity (95%) and lowest specificity (16%), while LAPSS had the lowest sensitivity (42%) and highest specificity (80%) in the patients with suspected mild minor stroke. The remaining scales had sensitivity between 67% and 93%, and specificity between 23% and 67%.

Conclusions: In patients with mild minor stroke, substantial overlap in presentation between stroke and stroke mimics makes triage challenging. Prehospital stroke scales provide either high sensitivity or specificity. Competence and training of paramedics in when and how to use, and interpret, these scales is key for recognizing and correctly triaging stroke patients.The ParaNASPP trial was registered at Clinicaltrials.gov with registration number NCT04137874.

Background: Limited data exist on characteristics and patterns associated with patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who encounter first-ever ischemic stroke (IS) while not on oral anticoagulation (OAC) therapy.

Methods: From a nationwide registry-linkage database including all patients with AF in Finland from 2007 to 2017, we included those with IS after diagnosis of AF and those without IS. Factors associated with non-OAC use among IS patients were examined using logistic regression, with separate models for independent variables and risk scores.

Results: Among 174,094 patients with new-onset AF, 11,680 (6.7%) patients (56.9% female; mean age 79.0 years) experienced IS. A total of 7507 (64.3%) of IS patients were not on OAC at the time of IS (mean age 78.9 years; 57.2% female). The proportion of non-OAC decreased from 77.2% to 45.6% over the study period. In the adjusted logistic regression model, the strongest factor associated with non-OAC was CHA2DS2-VA score of 0 points (OR 4.561; 95% CI, 3.097-6.718), followed by a score of 1 point (OR 2.382; 95% CI, 1.971-2.879). Other significant independent factors associated with non-OAC use were alcohol abuse (OR 2.282; 95% CI, 1.805-2.885), liver dysfunction (OR 2.120; 95% CI, 1.335-3.367), renal dysfunction (OR 1.430; 95% CI, 1.200-1.703), dementia (OR 1.394; 95% CI, 1.227-1.583), prior myocardial infarction (OR 1.346; 95% CI, 1.181-1.535), age <65 years (OR 1.274; 95% CI, 1.034-1.571), lowest income (OR 1.232; 95% CI, 1.104-1.374), female sex (OR 1.177; 95% CI, 1.077-1.287), and antiplatelets/NSAID use (OR 1.133; 95% CI, 1.042-1.231).

Conclusions: Less than 2% of AF patients experienced IS during study period and among these around 63% were without appropriate OAC therapy at the time of the IS. However, decreasing trend of non-OAC use was identified throughout the study period.

Introduction: We aim to evaluate the association between door-to-needle time (DTN) and outcomes in a population of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients treated with intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) + mechanical thrombectomy (MT) in the Italian Registry of Endovascular Treatment in Acute Stroke (IRETAS).

Materials and methods: Patients with AIS secondary to middle cerebral artery or intracranial internal carotid artery occlusion with known times of symptoms onset, directly presenting to an MT-capable center, were included in the analysis. According to pre-defined DTN cut-off values (⩽30, ⩽45, and ⩽60 min), we evaluated the association between DTN and outcomes by multivariate logistic regression analyses. Effectiveness outcomes were 3-month functional independence, 3-month excellent outcome and successful reperfusion. Safety outcomes were any intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH), and 3-month mortality.

Results: About 1602 patients were included in our analysis. After logistic regression analysis, a DTN ⩽ 60 min was significantly associated with 3-month functional independence (OR 1.36; 95% CI 1.02-1.82). DTNs ⩽ 30, ⩽45, and ⩽60 min were significantly associated with successful reperfusion (OR 2.66; 95% CI 1.6-4.43; OR 1.68; 95%CI 1.25-2.26; OR 1.57; 95% CI 1.21-2.05; respectively). A DTN ⩽ 60 min was also significantly associated with lower rate of any ICH (OR 0.61; 95% CI 0.43-0.86). DTNs ⩽ 30, ⩽45, and ⩽60 min were significantly associated with lower 3-month mortality (OR 0.24; 95% CI 0.08-0.67; OR 0.45; 95% CI 0.29-0.72; OR 0.58; 95% CI 0.39-0.84; respectively).

Conclusions: In patients with AIS treated with IVT + MT, a shorter DTN is associated with better outcomes if IVT is initiated within 1 h of hospital admission.

Introduction: Long-term adherence to secondary prevention after ischemic stroke remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate medication adherence, attainment of vascular treatment targets, and clinical characteristics that influence target achievement 3 years post-stroke.

Patients and methods: We included 665 home-dwelling ischemic stroke patients from the Norwegian Cognitive Impairment After Stroke study, admitted between May 2015 and March 2017 (n = 431 were followed for 3 years). Medication adherence was assessed using the 4-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale, medication persistence, and guideline-based treatment targets: blood pressure (BP) < 140/90 mmHg, LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) < 2.0 mmol/L, and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) ⩽ 53 mmol/mol.

Results: At discharge, prescription rates were 97% for antithrombotics, 67% for antihypertensives, 88% for lipid-lowering drugs (LLD), and 10% for antidiabetics. Three years later, persistence rates were 97%, 91%, 83%, and 94%, respectively, with 73% reporting high medication adherence. Target achievement rates were 42% for BP, 47% for LDL-C, and 75% for HbA1c among diabetic patients. Younger age was associated with better BP control (OR 0.974 per year, 95% CI 0.957-0.992). Women had poorer LDL-C control (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.33-0.91). More LLD (OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.14-1.37) and higher comorbidity (OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.10-1.44) were associated with improved LDL-C control.

Conclusion: Control of risk factors remained unsatisfactory 3 years after ischemic stroke, despite relatively high persistence and adherence rates. Improved focus on implementing optimal secondary prevention for Norwegian stroke patients is necessary.

Introduction: Right-to-left shunt (RLS) associated with a patent foramen ovale has been related with ischemic stroke. However, its relationship with MRI white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) remains debated. This cross-sectional, single-centre study investigated the prevalence of RLS detected by transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD) and its association with vascular lesions on MRI.

Patients and methods: 502 outpatients (mean age 47.8 ± 13 years; 45% male) with non-specific neurological symptoms underwent brain MRI and TCD with contrast saline. WMH severity was visually graded using the Fazekas scale.

Results: RLS was detected in 39% of the sample. No difference was found in demographics and clinical variables between those with and without RLS. No association was also found between RLS and MRI lesion load. As expected, a significant (P < .001) positive correlation was identified between age and Fazekas scores (ie, higher scores with increasing age). No effect on lesion load was found for sex, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, obesity and smoking, while a statistically significant association (P = .016) was present for arterial hypertension (odds ratio 1.68, 95% CI, 1.10-2.56; among those with higher Fazekas scores). Finally, no significant association was found between RLS magnitude, both at rest and during the Valsalva manoeuver and the Fazekas scores.

Discussion: Although RLS was frequently detected in this cohort, it was not associated with the presence or severity of WMHs, which were instead driven by age and arterial hypertension. These findings support WMHs as MRI marker of cerebral small vessel disease rather than subclinical paradoxical embolism. This also suggests limited utility of routine TCD screening for RLS in patients with incidental WMHs and no history or sign of embolic features.

Conclusions: In patients with non-specific neurological symptoms, we detected a high occurrence of RLS, although this was not associated with an increased risk or severity of WMHs. As such, paradoxical embolism may not be a major determinant of subclinical WMHs in this population.

Introduction: Whether patients with acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) and prior antiplatelet therapy (APT) are at higher risk of symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage (sICH) has not been established. This study aimed to determine whether prior APT increases the risk of bleeding.

Methods: 41,113 patients treated for AIS in Switzerland between 2014 and 2022 were analysed. The primary outcome was sICH, and secondary outcomes were recurrent ischaemic stroke (IS), all-cause mortality, functional outcome at discharge and 90 days. Patients grouped by prior APT: no APT (nAPT), single APT (SAPT), and dual APT (DAPT) were analysed using logistic and Cox proportional hazards regression. Confounding variables, including revascularisation treatment, were accounted for using multivariable adjustment and matching, and a time-to-event analysis was performed.

Results: In the adjusted analysis at 90 days, patients with nAPT versus SAPT had a decreased risk of sICH (aOR 0.75 (0.62-0.90), p < 0.01), while these occurred within the first days. There was no difference in the risk of recurrent IS, all-cause mortality, or functional outcome. Patients with DAPT had no higher risk of sICH or mortality than those with SAPT, but a higher occurrence of recurrent IS (aOR 1.41 (1.12-1.77), p < 0.01) and worse functional outcome (aOR 1.18 (1.07-1.31), p < 0.01). The results were consistent after adjusting for revascularisation treatment.

Conclusions: Patients with nAPT had a lower risk of sICH than those with SAPT. Patients with DAPT have a higher risk of recurrent IS and worse functional outcome respectively. The majority of sICH occurred within the first days after admission.

Introduction: Genetic deficiency of factor XI is associated with a reduced risk of ischemic stroke. Asundexian is a direct inhibitor of activated factor XIa (FXIa) with a low risk of bleeding in early trials. We seek to determine its efficacy and safety combined with antiplatelet therapy for prevention of ischemic stroke.

Patients and methods: Oral faCtor Eleven A iNhibitor asundexian as novel antithrombotiC (OCEANIC-STROKE) is a placebo-controlled, double-blind, event-driven randomised trial including participants with stroke (NIHSS ≤ 15) or high-risk TIA (ABCD2 6 or 7) within 72 h of onset. Participants had at least one of the following: atherosclerosis of extra- or intracranial vessels, a medical history of atherosclerosis or an imaged acute non-lacunar infarct. We excluded sources of stroke requiring anticoagulation and active non-trivial bleeding other than hemorrhagic infarction (HI 1 or 2). Participants received asundexian 50 mg daily or placebo stratified by planned concurrent antiplatelet therapy (single vs dual). The primary endpoint is time to ischemic stroke. We present baseline characteristics as of 5 June 2025.

Results: Between January 2023 and February 2025, we randomised 12,327 participants. Participants were 67% male with a mean (SD) age of 68 (11) years. Ischemic stroke was the index event for 95% of whom 27.4% had thrombolysis and/or mechanical thrombectomy. By TOAST classification, 43% of index strokes were LAA, 22% small vessel disease, 30% undetermined and 2% cardioembolic. Dual antiplatelets were planned in 63% as standard initial treatment. Trial completion is anticipated in October 2025.

Conclusion: OCEANIC-STROKE will be the first completed trial of FXIa inhibition for prevention of stroke after non-cardioembolic stroke or TIA.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05686070).