Decompressive Hemicraniectomy for Malignant Middle Cerebral Artery Stroke: South Asian Experience.

BACKGROUND: The randomized trials showed improved outcome and reduced mortality in malignant middle cerebral artery (MMCA) undergoing Decompressive hemicraniectomy (DHC) within 48 hours of stroke onset. Despite high prevalence of stroke, especially in younger individuals, high and short-term mortality from stroke in South Asian and Middle East, there is little published data on DHC in patients with MMCA stroke. METHODS: This is a retrospective, multicenter cross-sectional study to measure outcome following DHC using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and dichotomized as favorable (mRS ≤ 4) or unfavorable (mRS > 4), at 3 months. RESULTS: In total, 137 patients underwent DHC. At 90 days, mortality was 16.8%; 61.3% of patients survived with an mRS of 4 or less and 38.7% had an mRS greater than 4. Age (55 years), diabetes (P = .004), hypertension (P = .021), pupillary abnormality (P = .048), uncal herniation (P = .007), temporal lobe involvement (P = .016), additional infarction (MCA + anterior cerebral artery, posterior cerebral artery) (P = .001), and infarction growth rates (P = .025) were significantly higher in patients with unfavorable prognosis in univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis showed age, additional infarction, septum pellucidum deviation greater than 1 cm, and uncal herniation to be associated with a significantly poor prognosis. Time to surgery had no impact on outcome (P = .109). CONCLUSIONS: Similar to the results of the studies from the West, DHC Improves functional outcome in predominantly South Asian patients with MMCA Stroke.

Respiratory syncytial virus-associated hospitalisation in children aged ≤5†years: a scoping review of literature from 2009 to 2021.

Introduction: Following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in many countries, a surge in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) hospitalisations was reported, surpassing yearly trends pre-pandemic. The changes to RSV epidemiology may have unforeseen effects on healthcare systems and populations globally, adding to the burden generated during the pandemic and placing increased demand on resources. Here we aim to identify recent global trends of RSV hospitalisation amongst children aged ≤5 years, to help inform policy makers in the planning of preventative interventions. Methods: We conducted a scoping review of published literature between January 2009 and May 2021. Using keywords "Hospital admissions, Respiratory syncytial virus, RSV, Bronchiolitis, Children" we located studies using Medline, EMCARE, CINAHL and HMIC. Studies were eligible if they reported on trends/data for RSV hospitalisation amongst children aged ≤5 years. The articles were reviewed by two independent reviewers. Findings: We assessed 3310 abstracts, reviewed 70 studies and included 56 studies in the final review. Findings were categorised into themes. The review highlighted that, although RSV incidence has been steadily increasing since 2009, the number of reported RSV hospitalisations decreased during lockdown. The highest numbers of hospitalisations were reported in children <1 year of age, particularly 0-2-month-old infants. Globally, RSV hospitalisations tend to peak in the winter months; however, since COVID-19 restrictions have eased, countries are reporting incidence peaks at different times, in contrast to the trends of previous years. Conclusion: With greater physical interactions due to the relaxation of COVID-19 restriction measures, RSV-related hospitalisations can be seen to increase amongst children aged ≤5 years, possibly surpassing the numbers reported in previous RSV seasons.

Pre-existing Small Vessel Disease in Patients with Acute Stroke from the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Philippines.

Asymptomatic small vessel disease (SVD), including white matter hyperintensities (WMHIs), periventricular hyperintensities (PVHIs), silent stroke (SS), and cerebral microbleeds (CMBs), increases the risk of stroke. There are limited studies of SVD in subjects from the Middle East and Southeast Asia (SA). All patients admitted to stroke service between 2014 and 2015 were reviewed for presence of "pre-existing" SVD. Stroke mimics with no previous history of stroke were used as controls. There were 1727 patients admitted with stroke. Analysis was done on 988 subjects (914 strokes and 74 controls) who had MRI scan done. Pre-existing SVD was seen in 642 (64.9%) patients (WMHIs 19.6%, PVHIs 33.2%, SS 51.4%, and CMBs 22%). Silent strokes were significantly more common with ischemic stroke (IS) compared to intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) (62.0 vs 34.3%, p < 0.001). CMBs were more in ICH compared to IS (42.9 vs 23.1%, p < 0.001). The risk of developing CMBs among Far Eastern (FE) patients was 1.58 times more (p = 0.07), while 1.48 times more in Arabs (AR) (p = 0.026) compared to SA after adjusting for age. The risk of developing PVHIs was significantly higher in Arab compared to SA (odds ratio (OR) 1.43; p value = 0.021). Similarly, the risk of developing WMHIs was also significantly higher in AR patients (OR 1.6; p value = 0.009) compared to SA. The majority of ethnic AR, SA, and FE populations show pre-existing SVD on MRI. The advanced changes at a young age may be related to high prevalence of untreated risk factors and possibly as yet defined genetic and environmental factors.

Correction to: Pre-existing Small Vessel Disease in Patients with Acute Stroke from the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Philippines.

The author names "Dr. Pablo Garcia Bermejo" and "Dr. Muhammad Faisal Wadiwala" needed to be added as the 6th and 7th authors, respectively. The authors regret this error.