Oral Anticoagulant Use in Atrial Fibrillation-Associated Ischemic Stroke: A Retrospective, Multicenter Survey in Northwestern China.

BACKGROUND: Anticoagulation therapy has been recommended by major guidelines to reduce the risk of recurrent stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation-associated ischemic stroke (AFAIS). However, in real-world clinical practice, oral anticoagulants with either vitamin K antagonists or nonvitamin K antagonists are often underused for these patients. Here, we sought to investigate the current status of oral anticoagulant use in patients with AFAIS in northwestern China. METHODS: We reviewed medical records of consecutive patients with AFAIS discharged from 14 hospitals in northwestern China between January 2012 and May 2015. RESULTS: A total of 1014 cases were included in this study. The mean age of the patients was 70.3 ± 10.8 years. Fifty-four percent were female. Among all participants, only 20.0% received anticoagulants (19.4% warfarin and .6% nonvitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants), whereas 57.5% took antiplatelet drugs and 22.5% received neither anticoagulant nor antiplatelet treatment. Anticoagulant use decreased with increasing age and CHA2DS2-VASc scores. The proportions of anticoagulant use at discharge in patients younger than 65 years, 65-74 years, and 75 years or older were 28.5%, 20.7%, and 13.9%, respectively. Nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients with CHA2DS2-VASc scores of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 had anticoagulant use rates at discharge of 19.2%, 24.8%, 20.3%, 13.7%, 8.1%, and 8.0%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In northwestern China, oral anticoagulants are substantially underutilized in patients with AFAIS, especially in patients at higher risk of stroke, suggesting a large treatment gap in the secondary prevention management in patients with AFAIS.

Development and validation of a nomogram to provide individualized predictions of functional outcomes in patients with convulsive status epilepticus at 3 months: The modified END-IT tool.

AIMS: The prediction of outcomes in convulsive status epilepticus (CSE) remains a constant challenge. The Encephalitis-Nonconvulsive Status Epilepticus-Diazepam Resistance-Image Abnormalities-Tracheal Intubation (END-IT) score was a useful tool for predicting the functional outcomes of CSE patients, excluding cerebral hypoxia patients. With further understanding of CSE, and in view of the deficiencies of END-IT itself, we consider it necessary to modify the prediction tool. METHODS: The prediction model was designed from a cohort of CSE patients from Xijing Hospital (China), between 2008 and 2020. The enrolled subjects were randomly divided into training cohort and validation cohort as a ratio of 2:1. The logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the predictors and construct the nomogram. The performance of the nomogram was assessed by calculating the concordance index, and creating calibration plots to check the consistency between the predicted probabilities of poor prognosis and the actual outcomes of CSE. RESULTS: The training cohort included 131 patients and validation cohort included 66 patients. Variables included in the nomogram were age, etiology of CSE, non-convulsive SE, mechanical ventilation, abnormal albumin level at CSE onset. The concordance index of the nomogram in the training and validation cohorts was 0.853 (95% CI, 0.787-0.920) and 0.806 (95% CI, 0.683-0.923), respectively. The calibration plots showed an adequate consistency between the reported and predicted unfavorable outcomes of patients with CSE at 3 months after discharge. CONCLUSIONS: A nomogram for predicting the individualized risks of poor functional outcomes in CSE was constructed and validated, which has been an important modification of END-IT score.