Cardiomyopathy in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke and Methamphetamine Use: Relevance for Cardioembolic Stroke and Outcome.

BACKGROUND: Methamphetamine use has emerged as a major risk factor for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease in young adults. The aim of this study was to investigate a possible association of methamphetamine use with cardioembolic stroke. METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed a retrospective study of patients with acute ischemic stroke admitted at our medical center between 2019 and 2022. All patients were screened for methamphetamine use and cardiomyopathy, defined as left ventricular ejection fraction ≤45%. Among 938 consecutive patients, 46 (4.9%) were identified as using methamphetamine. Compared with the nonmethamphetamine group (n=892), the methamphetamine group was significantly younger (52.8±9.6 versus 69.7±15.2 years; P<0.001), included more men (78.3% versus 52.8%; P<0.001), and had a significantly higher rate of cardiomyopathy (30.4% versus 14.0%; P<0.01). They were also less likely to have a history of atrial fibrillation (8.7% versus 33.4%; P<0.01) or hyperlipidemia (28.3% versus 51.7%; P<0.01). Compared with patients with cardiomyopathy without methamphetamine use, the patients with cardiomyopathy with methamphetamine use had significantly lower left ventricular ejection fraction (26.0±9.59% versus 32.47±9.52%; P<0.01) but better functional outcome at 3 months, likely attributable to significantly younger age and fewer comorbidities. In the logistic regression model of clinical variables, methamphetamine-associated cardiomyopathy was found to be significantly associated with cardioembolic stroke (odds ratio, 1.79 [95% CI, 1.04-3.06]; P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that methamphetamine use is significantly associated with cardiomyopathy and cardioembolic stroke in young adults.

Methamphetamine use increases the risk of cerebral small vessel disease in young patients with acute ischemic stroke.

Methamphetamine use causes spikes in blood pressure. Chronic hypertension is a major risk factor for cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD). The aim of this study is to investigate whether methamphetamine use increases the risk of cSVD. Consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke at our medical center were screened for methamphetamine use and evidence of cSVD on MRI of the brain. Methamphetamine use was identified by self-reported history and/or positive urine drug screen. Propensity score matching was used to select non-methamphetamine controls. Sensitivity analysis was performed to assess the effect of methamphetamine use on cSVD. Among 1369 eligible patients, 61 (4.5%) were identified to have a history of methamphetamine use and/or positive urine drug screen. Compared with the non-methamphetamine group (n = 1306), the patients with methamphetamine abuse were significantly younger (54.5 ± 9.7 vs. 70.5 ± 12.4, p < 0.001), male (78.7% vs. 54.0%, p < 0.001) and White (78.7% vs. 50.4%, p < 0.001). Sensitivity analysis showed that methamphetamine use was associated with increased white matter hyperintensities, lacunes, and total burden of cSVD. The association was independent of age, sex, concomitant cocaine use, hyperlipidemia, acute hypertension, and stroke severity. Our findings suggest that methamphetamine use increases the risk of cSVD in young patients with acute ischemic stroke.

Blood Pressure and Spot Sign in Spontaneous Supratentorial Subcortical Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage is a potentially devastating cause of brain injury, often occurring secondary to hypertension. Contrast extravasation on computed tomography angiography (CTA), known as the spot sign, has been shown to predict hematoma expansion and worse outcomes. Although hypertension has been associated with an increased rate of the spot sign being present, the relationship between spot sign and blood pressure has not been fully explored. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data from 134 patients (40 women and 94 men, mean age 62.3 ± 15.73 years) presenting to a tertiary academic medical center with spontaneous supratentorial subcortical intracerebral hemorrhage from 1/1/2018 to 1/4/2021. RESULTS: A spot sign was demonstrated in images of 18 patients (13.43%) and correlated with a higher intracerebral hemorrhage score (2.61 ± 1.42 vs. 1.31 ± 1.25, p = 0.002), larger hematoma volume (53.49cm3 ± 32.08 vs. 23.45cm3 ± 25.65, p = 0.001), lower Glasgow Coma Scale on arrival (9.06 ± 4.56 vs. 11.74 ± 3.65, p = 0.027), increased risk of hematoma expansion (16.67% vs. 5.26%, p = 0.042), and need for surgical intervention (66.67% vs. 15.52%, p < 0.001). We did not see a correlation with age, sex, or underlying comorbidities. The presence of spot sign correlated with higher modified Rankin scores at discharge (4.94 ± 1.00 vs. 3.92 ± 1.64, p < 0.001). We saw significantly higher systolic blood pressure at the time of CTA in patients with a spot sign (184 mm Hg ± 43.11 vs. 153 mm Hg ± 36.99, p = 0.009) and the highest recorded blood pressure (p = 0.019), although not blood pressure on arrival (p = 0.081). Performing CTA early in the process of blood pressure lowering was associated with a spot sign (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of spot sign correlates with larger hematomas, worse outcomes, and increased surgical intervention. There is a significant association between spot sign and systolic blood pressure at the time of CTA, with the highest systolic blood pressure being recorded prior to CTA. Although the role of intensive blood pressure management in spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage remains a subject of debate, patients with a spot sign may be a subgroup that could benefit from this.

Comparative Studies of Cerebral Reperfusion Injury in the Posterior and Anterior Circulations After Mechanical Thrombectomy.

Cerebral reperfusion injury is the major complication of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Contrast extravasation (CE) and intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) are the key radiographical features of cerebral reperfusion injury. The aim of this study was to investigate CE and ICH after MT in the anterior and posterior circulation, and their effect on functional outcome. This is a retrospective study of all consecutive patients who were treated with MT for AIS at University of California Irvine Medical Center between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2017. Patient characteristics, clinical features, procedural variables, contrast extravasation, ICH, and outcomes after MT were analyzed. A total of 131 patients with anterior circulation (AC) stroke and 25 patients with posterior circulation (PC) stroke underwent MT during the study period. There was no statistically significant difference in admission NIHSS score, blood pressure, rate of receiving intravenous tPA, procedural variables, contrast extravasation, and symptomatic ICH between the 2 groups. Patients with PC stroke had a similar rate of favorable outcome (mRS 0-2) but significantly higher mortality (40.0% vs. 10.7%, p < 0.01) than patients with AC stroke. Multivariate regression analysis identified initial NIHSS score (OR 1.1, CI 1.0-1.2, p = 0.01), number of passes with stent retriever (OR 2.1, CI 1.3-3.6, p < 0.01), and PC stroke (OR 9.3, CI 2.5-35.1, p < 0.01) as independent risk factors for death. There was no significant difference in functional outcomes between patients with and without evidence of cerebral reperfusion injury after MT. We demonstrated that AC and PC stroke had similar rates of cerebral reperfusion injury and favorable outcome after MT. Cerebral reperfusion injury is not a significant independent risk factor for poor functional outcome.

Language disparity is not a significant barrier for time-sensitive care of acute ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND: Language barriers were reported to affect timely access to health care and outcome. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of language disparity on quality benchmarks of acute ischemic stroke therapy. METHODS: Consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke at the University of California Irvine Medical Center from 2013 to 2016 were studied. Patients were categorized into 3 groups according to their preferred language: English, Spanish, and other languages. Quality benchmarks and outcomes of the 3 language groups were analyzed. RESULTS: Of the 928 admissions, 69.7% patients recorded English as preferred language, as compared to 17.3% Spanish and 13.0% other languages. There was no significant difference in the rate of receiving intravenous thrombolysis (24.3, 22.1 and 21.0%), last-known-well to door time, door-to-imaging time, door-to-needle time, and hospital length of stay among the 3 language groups. In univariate analysis, the other languages group had lower chance of favorable outcomes than the English-speaking group (26.3% vs 40.4, p < 0.05) while the Spanish-speaking group had lower mortality rate than English-speaking group (3.1% vs 7.7%, p = 0.05). After adjusting for age and initial NIHSS scores, multivariate regression models showed no significant difference in favorable outcomes and mortality between different language groups. CONCLUSION: We demonstrate no significant difference in quality benchmarks and outcome of acute ischemic stroke among 3 different language groups. Our results suggest that limited English proficiency is not a significant barrier for time-sensitive stroke care at Comprehensive Stroke Center.

Intracerebral hemorrhage: who gets tested for methamphetamine use and why might it matter?

BACKGROUND: Methamphetamine use is an emerging risk factor for intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). The aim of this study was to investigate the use of urine drug screen (UDS) for identifying methamphetamine-associated ICH. METHODS: This is a retrospective, single-center study of consecutive patients hospitalized with spontaneous ICH from January 2013 to December 2017. Patients were divided into groups based on presence of UDS. The characteristics of patients with and without UDS were compared. Factors associated with getting UDS were explored using multivariable analyses. RESULTS: Five hundred ninety-six patients with ICH were included. UDS was performed in 357 (60%), and positive for methamphetamine in 44 (12.3%). In contrast, only 19 of the 357 patients (5.3%) had a documented history of methamphetamine use. Multivariable analysis demonstrated that patients screened with UDS were more likely to be younger than 45 (OR, 2.24; 95% CI, 0.26-0.78; p = 0.004), male (OR, 1.65; 95% CI, 0.44-0.84; p = 0.003), smokers (OR, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.09-2.77; p <  0.001), with history of methamphetamine use (OR, 10.48; 95% CI, 2.48-44.34; p <  0.001), without diabetes (OR 1.47; 95% CI, 0.471-0.975; p = 0.036), not on anticoagulant (OR, 2.20; 95% CI, 0.26-0.78; p = 0.004), with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) > 4 (OR, 1.92; 95%CI, 1.34-2.75; p <  0.001), or require external ventricular drain (EVD) (OR, 1.63; 95%CI, 1.07-2.47; p = 0.021. There was no significant difference in race (p = 0.319). Reported history of methamphetamine use was the strongest predictor of obtaining a UDS (OR,10.48). Five percent of patients without UDS admitted history of use. CONCLUSION: UDS identified 12.3% of ICH patients with methamphetamine use as compared to 5.3% per documented history of drug use. There was no racial bias in ordering UDS. However, it was more often ordered in younger, male, smokers, with history of methamphetamine use, without diabetes or anticoagulant use.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of methamphetamine-associated versus non-methamphetamine intracerebral hemorrhage.

Methamphetamine use has emerged as a risk factor for intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). We aim to investigate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of methamphetamine-associated ICH (Meth-ICH) versus Non-Meth-ICH. Patients with ICH between January 2011 and December 2017 were studied. Meth-ICH and Non-Meth-ICH were defined by history of abuse and urine drug screen (UDS). The clinical features of the 2 groups were explored. Among the 677 consecutive patients, 61 (9.0%) were identified as Meth-ICH and 350 as Non-Meth ICH. Meth-ICH was more common in Hispanics (14.6%) and Whites (10.1%) as compared to Asians (1.2%). Patients with Meth-ICH were more often younger (51.2 vs. 62.2 years, p < 0.001), male (77.0% vs. 61.4.0%, p < 0.05), and smokers (44.3% vs. 13.4%, p < 0.001). Non-Meth-ICH was more likely to have history of hypertension (72.61% v. 59%, p < 0.05) or antithrombotic use (10.9% vs. 1.6%, p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in clinical severity, hospital length of stay (LOS), rate of functional independence (29.5% vs. 25.7%, p = 0.534), or mortality (18.0% vs. 24.6%, p = 0.267) between the 2 groups. Methamphetamine use was not an independent predictor of poor outcome. Despite difference in demographics, Meth-ICH is similar to Non-Meth ICH in hospital course and outcome.

Early Initiation of Oral Antihypertensives Reduces Intensive Care Unit Stay and Hospital Cost for Patients with Hypertensive Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Intravenous nicardipine infusion is effective for rapid blood pressure control. However, its use requires hemodynamic monitoring in the intensive care unit (ICU) and is associated with high hospital cost. This study aimed to examine the effect of early versus late initiation of oral antihypertensives on ICU length of stay (LOS) and cost of hospitalization in patients with hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). METHODS: This is a single-center retrospective study of patients with hypertensive ICH treated with nicardipine infusion from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2017. Patients were dichotomized into study and control groups, based on receiving oral antihypertensives within 24 h versus after 24 h of emergency department arrival. Baseline characteristics, duration of nicardipine infusion, LOS in the ICU and hospital, functional outcome at discharge, and hospital cost were compared between the two groups using univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: A total of 90 patients in the study group and 76 in the control group were identified. There was no significant difference in demographics, past medical history, and initial SBP between the two groups. After adjusting for confounding factors with multivariate regression models, early initiation of oral antihypertensives was associated with significant reductions in duration of nicardipine infusion (55.5 ± 60.1 vs 121.6 ± 141.3 h, p <0.005), nicardipine cost ($14,207 vs $29,299, p < 0.01), ICU LOS (2 vs 5 days, p < 0.005), and cost of hospitalization ($24,564 vs $47,366, p < 0.01). There was no significant difference in adversary renal events, favorable outcomes, and mortality between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Early initiation of oral antihypertensives is safe and may have a significant financial impact on patients with hypertensive ICH.

Three easily-implementable changes reduce median door-to-needle time for intravenous thrombolysis by 23 minutes.

BACKGROUND: The benefit of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) for acute ischemic stroke is time dependent. Despite great effort, the median door-to-needle time (DNT) was 60 min at the United States stroke centers. We investigated the effect of a simple quality improvement initiative on DNT for IVT. METHODS: This is a single-center study of patients treated with IVT between 2013 and 2017. A simple quality improvement initiative was implemented in January 2015 to allow the Stroke team to manage hypertension in the emergency room, to make decision for IVT before getting blood test results unless patients were taking oral anticoagulants, and to give IVT in the CT suite. Baseline characteristics, DNT and outcomes at hospital discharge were compared between pre- and post-intervention groups. RESULTS: Ninety and 136 patients were treated with IVT in pre- and post-intervention groups, respectively. The rate of IVT was significantly higher in the post-intervention group (20% vs. 14.4%, p = 0.007). The median DNT with interquartile range (IQR) was reduced significantly by 23 min (63[53-81] vs. 40[29-53], p < 0.001) with more patients in the post-intervention group receiving IVT within 60 min (81.6% vs. 46.7%) and 45 min (64.0% vs.17.8%). There was no significant difference in symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage rate (1.5% vs. 1.1%), modified Rankin Scale 0-1 (29.4% vs. 23.3%), and hospital mortality (7.4% vs. 6.7%) between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: Three easily-implementable quality improvement initiative increases IVT rate and reduces DNT significantly without increasing the rate of IVT-related complications in our comprehensive stroke center.

Evolution of a US County System for Acute Comprehensive Stroke Care.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In Orange County, California, patients with suspected acute stroke are taken to stroke neurology receiving centers that are designated by County Emergency Medical Services authorities as either hubs or spokes based on endovascular treatment capability. We examined relationships between stroke details, reperfusion therapies, hospital transfers, and their change over time. METHODS: All patients from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2015, for whom 911 was called within 7 hours of onset in whom Emergency Medical Services personnel suspected acute stroke were evaluated. RESULTS: Among 6132 patients, 3924 (64%) had confirmed diagnosis of stroke (74% ischemic/26% hemorrhagic), yielding diagnostic precision of 64% in the field. Of the 2892 patients with acute ischemic stroke, acute reperfusion therapy was given to 29.2% (21.7% intravenous tPA [tissue-type plasminogen activator] only and 7.5% endovascular treatment). Rates of endovascular treatment of patients with ischemic stroke increased over time, more than doubling from 5.6% in 2013 to 12.5% (odds ratio per 3-month quarter=1.09; 95% confidence interval, 1.04-1.14; P<0.0001). Only 3.4% of patients with acute ischemic stroke were transferred from a spoke to a hub hospital; transfer rates were inversely related to age (P<0.0001), and reperfusion therapy rates did not vary according to transfer status. CONCLUSIONS: Favorable features of this acute stroke care system include reperfusion therapy in 29.2% of patients with ischemic stroke and substantial increases in endovascular treatment rates over time. Continued efforts to optimize acute stroke systems of care can be directed toward improving access to best acute stroke therapies.

Resistant Hypertension after Hypertensive Intracerebral Hemorrhage Is Associated with More Medical Interventions and Longer Hospital Stays without Affecting Outcome.

BACKGROUND: Hypertension (HTN) is the most common cause of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). The aim of this study is to investigate the role of resistant HTN in patients with ICH. METHODS AND RESULTS: We conducted a retrospective study of all consecutive ICH admissions at our medical center from November 2013 to October 2015. The clinical features of patients with resistant HTN (requiring four or more antihypertensive agents to keep systolic blood pressure <140 mm Hg) were compared with those with responsive HTN (requiring three or fewer agents). Of the 152 patients with hypertensive ICH, 48 (31.6%) had resistant HTN. Resistant HTN was independently associated with higher body mass index and proteinuria. Compared to the responsive group, patients with resistant HTN had higher initial blood pressures and greater requirement for ventilator support, hematoma evacuation, hypertonic saline therapy, and nicardipine infusion. Resistant HTN increases length of stay (LOS) in the intensive care unit (ICU) (4.2 vs 2.1 days; p = 0.007) and in the hospital (11.5 vs 7.0 days; p = 0.003). Multivariate regression analysis showed that the rate of systolic blood pressure >140 mm Hg and duration of nicardipine infusion were independently associated with LOS in the ICU. There was no significant difference in hematoma expansion and functional outcome at hospital discharge between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Resistant HTN in patients with ICH is associated with more medical interventions and longer LOS without effecting outcome at hospital discharge.

Influence of hematoma location on acute mortality after intracerebral hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This study aimed to identify predictors of acute mortality after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), including voxel-wise analysis of hematoma location. METHODS: In 282 consecutive patients with acute ICH, clinical and radiological predictors of acute mortality were identified. Voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping examined spatial correlates of acute mortality, contrasting results in basal ganglia ICH and lobar ICH. RESULTS: Acute mortality was 47.9%. In bivariate analyses, one clinical (serum glucose) and two radiological (hematoma volume and intraventricular extension) measures significantly predicted mortality. The relationship was strongest for hematoma volume. Multivariable modeling identified four significant predictors of mortality (ICH volume, intraventricular extension, serum glucose, and serum hemoglobin), although this model only minimally improved the predictive value provided by ICH volume alone. Voxel-wise analysis found that for patients with lobar ICH, brain regions where acute hematoma was significantly associated with higher acute mortality included inferior parietal lobule and posterior insula; for patients with basal ganglia ICH, a large region extending from cortex to brainstem. CONCLUSIONS: For patients with lobar ICH, acute mortality is related to both hematoma size and location, with findings potentially useful for therapeutic decision making. The current findings also underscore differences between the syndromes of acute deep and lobar ICH.

Organization of a United States county system for comprehensive acute stroke care.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Organized systems of care have the potential to improve acute stroke care delivery. The current report describes the experience of implementing a county-wide system of spoke-and-hub stroke neurology receiving centers (SNRC) that incorporated several comprehensive stroke center recommendations. METHODS: Observational study of patients with suspected stroke of <5 hours duration transported by emergency medical system personnel to an SNRC during the first year of this system. RESULTS: A total of 1360 patients with suspected stroke were evaluated at 9 hub SNRC, of which 553 (40.7%) had a discharge diagnosis of ischemic stroke. Of these 553, intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator was administered to 110 patients (19.9% of ischemic strokes). Care at the 6 neurointerventional-ready SNRC was a major focus in which 25.1% (99/395) of the patients with ischemic stroke received acute intravenous or intra-arterial reperfusion therapy, and in which provision of such therapies was less common with milder stroke, older age, and Hispanic origin. The door-to-needle time for intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator met the <60-minute target in only 25% of patients and was 37% longer (P=0.0001) when SNRC were neurointerventional-ready. CONCLUSIONS: A stroke system that incorporates features of comprehensive stroke centers can be effectively implemented with substantial rates of acute reperfusion therapy administration. Experiences potentially useful to broader implementation of comprehensive stroke centers are considered.

Telestroke: state of the science and steps for implementation.

Telemedicine or telehealth has been broadly defined as the use of telecommunications technologies to provide medical information and services. The use of telemedicine in the treatment of stroke-telestroke-has shown great promise in improving patient access to recommended stroke treatments in rural and other underserved areas. This article reviews the literature, discusses the potential impact, and makes recommendations for the use of this technology. It concentrates on the role of nurses, the potential impact, barriers, and promises of telestroke science.