Coagulation markers and echocardiography predict atrial fibrillation, malignancy or recurrent stroke after cryptogenic stroke.

We evaluated the utility of left atrial volume index (LAVI) and markers of coagulation and hemostatic activation (MOCHA) in cryptogenic stroke (CS) patients to identify those more likely to have subsequent diagnosis of atrial fibrillation (AF), malignancy or recurrent stroke during follow-up.Consecutive CS patients who met embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS) who underwent transthoracic echocardiography and outpatient cardiac monitoring following stroke were identified from the Emory cardiac registry. In a subset of consecutive patients, d-dimer, prothrombin fragment 1.2, thrombin-antithrombin complex and fibrin monomer (MOCHA panel) were obtained ≥2 weeks post-stroke and repeated ≥4 weeks later if abnormal; abnormal MOCHA panel was defined as ≥2 elevated markers which did not normalize when repeated. We assessed the predictive abilities of LAVI and the MOCHA panel to identify patients with subsequent diagnosis of AF, malignancy, recurrent stroke or the composite outcome during follow-up.Of 94 CS patients (mean age 64 ± 15 years, 54% female, 63% non-white, mean follow-up 1.4 ± 0.8 years) who underwent prolonged cardiac monitoring, 15 (16%) had new AF. Severe LA enlargement (vs normal) was associated with AF (P < .06). In 42 CS patients with MOCHA panel testing (mean follow-up 1.1 ± 0.6 years), 14 (33%) had the composite outcome and all had abnormal MOCHA. ROC analysis showed LAVI and abnormal MOCHA together outperformed either test alone with good predictive ability for the composite outcome (AUC 0.84).We report the novel use of the MOCHA panel in CS patients to identify a subgroup of patients more likely to have occult AF, occult malignancy or recurrent stroke during follow-up. A normal MOCHA panel identified a subgroup of CS patients at low risk for recurrent stroke on antiplatelet therapy. Further study is warranted to evaluate whether the combination of an elevated LAVI and abnormal MOCHA panel identifies a subgroup of CS patients who may benefit from early anticoagulation for secondary stroke prevention.

Periprocedural heparin use in acute ischemic stroke endovascular therapy: the TREVO 2 trial.

BACKGROUND: The use of periprocedural heparin has previously been reported to be safe and potentially beneficial during thrombectomy with older generation devices. We aimed to evaluate the safety and clinical outcomes of heparin use in the stent retriever era. METHODS: A post hoc analysis of the TREVO 2 trial was performed comparing baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes between patients who received (HEP+) and those who did not receive periprocedural heparin (HEP-) while undergoing MERCI or TREVO clot retrieval. RESULTS: Of 173 patients, 58 (34%) received periprocedural heparin including 40 who received one preprocedural bolus (median 3000 units). Baseline characteristics among HEP+ and HEP- patients were similar except HEP+ patients had a lower NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score (17 vs 19; p=0.04), lower IV tissue plasminogen activator use (38% vs 64%; p<0.01), and a higher median ASPECTS score (8.0 vs 7.0; p=0.02). HEP+ patients were more likely to have vertebrobasilar and middle cerebral artery (MCA)-M1 occlusions but less likely to have internal carotid artery and MCA-M2 occlusions (p=0.04). Time from symptom onset to puncture was similar in the two groups while procedure duration was longer in HEP+ patients (99 vs 83 min; p<0.01). Thrombolysis In Cerebral Infarction (TICI) 2b-3 reperfusion rates, embolization to unaffected territories, access site complications, and intracranial hemorrhages were similar between the groups. In multivariable logistic regression, a good outcome (90-day modified Rankin Scale score 0-2) was independently associated with heparin bolus use (OR 5.30; 95% CI 1.70 to 16.48), TICI 2b-3 reperfusion (OR 6.56; 95% CI 2.29 to 18.83), stent retriever use (OR 3.54; 95% CI 1.38 to 9.03) and inversely associated with intubation (OR 0.10; 95% CI 0.03 to 0.33), diabetes (OR 0.11; 95% CI 0.03 to 0.39), NIHSS (OR 0.84; 95% CI 0.75 to 0.93), time from symptom onset to puncture (OR 0.64; 95% CI 0.45 to 0.89), and heart failure (OR 0.23; 95% CI 0.06 to 0.83). CONCLUSIONS: The use of periprocedural heparin in stent retriever thrombectomy is associated with a good clinical outcome at 90 days and similar rates of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage. Further studies are warranted. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL:http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01270867;Post-results.

Clopidogrel plus Aspirin for Symptomatic Intracranial Atherosclerotic Stenosis: A Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: There are limited data on the optimal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy for secondary stroke prevention in patients with symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic disease. METHODS: Consecutive patients presenting with high-grade (70-99%) symptomatic intracranial stenosis from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2013, and evaluated within 30 days of the index event were eligible for this analysis. All patients underwent treatment with aspirin plus clopidogrel for a target duration of 12 months along with aggressive medical management based on the Stenting and Aggressive Medical Management for Preventing Recurrent Stroke in Intracranial Stenosis (SAMMPRIS) protocol; all patients were given gastrointestinal prophylaxis for the duration of their aspirin and clopidogrel treatment. Clinical and safety outcomes of our cohort were compared with the medical arm of the SAMMPRIS trial cohort (n = 227). RESULTS: Our cohort included 25 patients that met the inclusion criteria. Achievement of blood pressure and LDL cholesterol targets were similar between our cohort and the SAMMPRIS cohort. At 1 year, the rates of stroke, myocardial infarction or vascular death were 0% in our cohort and 16% in the SAMMPRIS cohort (p = 0.03). At 1 year, major bleeding rates were similar between our cohort and the SAMMPRIS cohort (4 vs. 2.2%, p = 1.0). CONCLUSION: A prolonged course of dual antiplatelet therapy for symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic disease may be associated with less vascular events with no increase in hemorrhagic complications.

Clinical outcomes after thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke on weekends versus weekdays.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to determine whether clinical outcomes differed in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients who underwent thrombectomy on weekends versus weekdays. METHODS: Patients with a primary diagnosis of AIS who underwent thrombectomy were identified from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 2005 to 2011 and stratified according to weekend or weekday admission. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with moderate-to-severe disability at hospital discharge in teaching and nonteaching hospitals. RESULTS: Of 12,055 patients with AIS who underwent thrombectomy during the study period, 2862 (23.7%) were admitted on a weekend. In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, factors associated with moderate or severe disability at discharge in nonteaching hospitals were weekend admission (odds ratio [OR], 1.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0-2.8; P = .04), diagnosis of hypertension (OR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.0-3.6; P = .05), and Medicare or Medicaid insurance status (OR, 2.1; 95% CI 1.1-4.3; P = .02); factors associated with moderate or severe disability at discharge in teaching hospitals were age >70 years (OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1-2.2; P = .02), pneumonia (OR, 4.7; 95% CI, 2.2-10.2; P < .0001), sepsis (OR, 8.2; 95% CI, 1.2-54.8; P = .03), intracranial hemorrhage (OR, 3.3; 95% CI, 1.8-6.1; P = .0001), and treatment in a Northwest hospital region (OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.2-2.4; P = .03). CONCLUSIONS: AIS patients undergoing thrombectomy who were admitted to nonteaching hospitals on weekends were more likely to be discharged with moderate-to-severe disability than those admitted on weekdays. No weekend effect on discharge clinical outcome was seen in teaching hospitals.