Identifying Targets to Improve the Management of Severe Hypertension in Pregnancy and Postpartum.

OBJECTIVES: To (1) define quality indicators, (2) describe care gaps, and (3) identify process issues in severe hypertension (sustained systolic blood pressure [BP] ≥160 mm Hg or diastolic BP ≥110 mm Hg) management at our tertiary care centre. METHODS: Pregnant and postpartum persons diagnosed with a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy from 2018 to 2019 were identified. A retrospective cohort of patients with severe hypertension was constructed, and data were collected through chart review. Severe hypertension management was assessed according to defined quality indicators. Clinical characteristics were compared between participants with and without time-to-target BP within 60 minutes. Process issues were examined for each severe hypertension occurrence. RESULTS: Of 608 participants with a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy, 90 (15%) experienced severe hypertension. Median time-to-target BP was 76 minutes (interquartile range 47-123 minutes), and target BP (<155/105 mm Hg) was achieved within 60 minutes in 31/90 (34%) participants. Appropriate antihypertensives for severe hypertension were used in 55/90 (61%), and time-to-treatment initiation was within 30 minutes in 42/54 (78%). Chronic hypertension and oral labetalol use were associated with delays in achieving target BP. Process issues related to severe hypertension management included inappropriate treatment (n = 35/90; 39%), failure to recognize severe hypertension as an emergency (n = 21/90; 23%), and delayed treatment initiation (n = 12/54; 22%). CONCLUSION: We defined quality indicators for severe hypertension management. Time-to-target BP within 60 minutes was achieved in a minority of patients, and chronic hypertension was associated with delayed severe hypertension resolution. Process issues in severe hypertension management were described.

Stability of the Gross Motor Function Classification System over time in children with cerebral palsy.

AIM: To assess the stability of the Gross Motor Functional Classification System (GMFCS) in children with cerebral palsy (CP) from time of preliminary diagnosis (~2 years of age) to time of diagnosis (~5 years of age), and to examine factors associated with reclassification. METHOD: We conducted a longitudinal study using a sample from the Canadian CP Registry. Stability was analysed by using the percentage of agreement between timepoints and a weighted prevalence and bias adjusted kappa statistic. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were performed to identify variables associated with reclassification. RESULTS: The study included 1670 children (857 males, 713 females) with a mean age of 11 years 4 months (SD 4 years, range 3 years 5 months-20 years 1 month) at time of data extraction (3rd September 2019), of which 1435 (85.9%) maintained a stable GMFCS, with a weighted kappa of 0.91 (95% confidence interval 0.89-0.92). Univariate logistic regression showed that initial GMFCS level, CP subtype, and the presence of cognitive impairment were associated with the likelihood of change in the GMFCS level (p < 0.1). In the multivariate analysis, however, the likelihood was associated with initial GMFCS level only (odds ratio 7.10-8.88, p < 0.00). INTERPRETATION: The GMFCS has good stability in early childhood. For the majority of children, it is predictive of their long-term motor function. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: The Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) rating in early childhood is stable over time. There is no directionality in the reclassification of the GMFCS. The initial GMFCS level was related to the likelihood of change in follow-up GMFCS level.

Periodic Limb Movements and White Matter Hyperintensities in First-Ever Minor Stroke or High-Risk Transient Ischemic Attack.

Study Objectives: Emerging evidence suggests that periodic limb movements (PLMs) may contribute to the development of cerebrovascular disease. White matter hyperintensities (WMHs), a widely accepted biomarker for cerebral small vessel disease, are associated with incident stroke and death. We evaluated the association between increased PLM indices and WMH burden in patients presenting with stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), while controlling for vascular risk factors and stroke severity. Methods: Thirty patients presenting within 2 weeks of a first-ever minor stroke or high-risk TIA were prospectively recruited. PLM severity was measured with polysomnography. WMH burden was quantified using the Age Related White Matter Changes (ARWMC) scale based on neuroimaging. Partial Spearman's rank-order correlations and multiple linear regression models tested the association between WMH burden and PLM severity. Results: Greater WMH burden was correlated with elevated PLM index and stroke volume. Partial Spearman's rank-order correlations demonstrated that the relationship between WMH burden and PLM index persisted despite controlling for vascular risk factors. Multivariate linear regression models revealed that PLM index was a significant predictor of an elevated ARWMC score while controlling for age, stroke volume, stroke severity, hypertension, and apnea-hypopnea index. Conclusion: The quantity of PLMs was associated with WMH burden in patients with first-ever minor stroke or TIA. PLMs may be a risk factor for or marker of WMH burden, even after considering vascular risk factors and stroke severity. These results invite further investigation of PLMs as a potentially useful target to reduce WMH and stroke burden.

Virchow-Robin Spaces: Correlations with Polysomnography-Derived Sleep Parameters.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To test the hypothesis that enlarged Virchow-Robin space volumes (VRS) are associated with objective measures of poor quality sleep. DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional study. SETTING: Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. PATIENTS: Twenty-six patients being evaluated for cerebrovascular disease were assessed using polysomnography and high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Regionalized VRS were quantified from three-dimensional high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging and correlated with measures of polysomnography-derived sleep parameters while controlling for age, stroke volume, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, and ventricular cerebrospinal fluid volume. Sleep efficiency was negatively correlated with total VRS (rho = -0.47, P = 0.03) and basal ganglia VRS (rho = -0.54, P = 0.01), whereas wake after sleep onset was positively correlated with basal ganglia VRS (rho = 0.52, P = 0.02). Furthermore, VRS in the basal ganglia were negatively correlated with duration of N3 (rho = -0.53, P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary results suggest that sleep may play a role in perivascular clearance in ischemic brain disease, and invite future research into the potential relevance of Virchow-Robin spaces as an imaging biomarker for nocturnal metabolite clearance.