Search Results (4)

Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities are growing globally. Understanding patterns of cerebrovascular disease in these communities may improve health outcomes. We aimed to compare the rates of transient ischaemic attack (TIA), ischaemic stroke (IS), intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH), intracranial atherosclerosis (ICAD), and stroke risk factors in Vietnamese-born residents of South-Western Sydney (SWS) with those of an Australian-born cohort. A 10-year retrospective analysis (2011–2020) was performed using data extracted from the Health Information Exchange database characterising stroke presentations and risk factor profiles. The rates of hypertension (83.7% vs. 70.3%, p < 0.001) and dyslipidaemia (81.0% vs. 68.2%, p < 0.001) were significantly higher in Vietnamese patients, while the rates of ischaemic heart disease (10.4% vs. 20.3%, p < 0.001), smoking (24.4% vs. 40.8%, p < 0.001), and alcohol abuse (>1 drink/day) (9.6% vs. 15.9%, p < 0.001) were lower. The rates of ICAD and ICH were higher in Vietnamese patients (30.9% vs. 6.9%, p < 0.001 and 24.7% vs. 14.4%, p = 0.002). Regression analysis revealed that diabetes (OR: 1.86; 95% CI: 1.14–3.04, p = 0.014) and glycosylated haemoglobin (OR: 1.51; 95% CI: 1.15–1.98, p = 0.003) were predictors of ICAD in Vietnamese patients. Vietnamese patients had higher rates of symptomatic ICAD and ICH, with unique risk factor profiles. Culturally specific interventions arising from these findings may more effectively reduce the community burden of disease. Full article

Background and purpose. Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is the standard of care for eligible patients with a large vessel occlusion (LVO) acute ischemic stroke. Among patients undergoing MT there has been uncertainty regarding the role of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) and previous trials have yielded conflicting results regarding clinical outcomes. We aim to investigate clinical, reperfusion outcomes and safety of MT with or without IVT for ischemic stroke due to anterior circulation LVO. Materials and Methods. This observational, prospective, single-centre study included consecutive patients with acute LVO ischemic stroke of the anterior circulation. The primary outcomes were the rate of in-hospital mortality, symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage and functional independence (mRS 0–2 at 90 days). Results. We enrolled a total of 577 consecutive patients: 161 (27.9%) were treated with MT alone while 416 (72.1%) underwent IVT and MT. Patients with MT who were treated with IVT had lower rates of in-hospital mortality (p = 0.037), higher TICI reperfusion grades (p = 0.007), similar rates of symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage (p = 0.317) and a higher percentage of functional independence mRS (0–2) at 90 days (p = 0.022). Bridging IVT with MT compared to MT alone was independently associated with a favorable post-intervention TICI score (>2b) (OR, 1.716; 95% CI, 1.076–2.735, p = 0.023). Conclusions. Our findings suggest that combined treatment with MT and IVT is safe and results in increased reperfusion rates as compared to MT alone. Full article

The optimal structure of the acute ischaemic stroke treatment network is unknown and eagerly sought. To make it most effective, different treatment and transportation strategies have been developed and investigated worldwide. Since only a fraction of acute stroke patients with large vessel occlusion are treated, a new entity—thrombectomy-capable stroke centre (TCSC)—was introduced to respond to the growing demand for timely endovascular treatment. The purpose of this study was to present the early experience of the first 70 patients treated by mechanical means in a newly developed cardiac Cathlab-based TCSC. The essential safety and efficacy measures were recorded and compared with those reported in the invasive arm of the HERMES meta-analysis—the largest published dataset on the subject. We found no significant differences in terms of clinical and safety outcomes, such as early neurological recovery, level of functional independence at 90 days, symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage, parenchymal haematoma type 2, and mortality. These encouraging results obtained in the small endovascular centre may be an argument for the introduction of the TCSC into operating stroke networks to increase patient access to timely treatment and to improve clinical outcomes. Full article

The Fibrosis (FIB)-4 index is an established non-invasive test to detect liver fibrosis. Liver fibrosis is postulated to be one of the predictors of the risk of symptomatic Intracranial Haemorrhage (SICH) after intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV tPA) therapy, the mainstay of treatment following acute ischemic stroke (AIS). However, SICH is a feared complication of thrombolytic therapy. We aimed to evaluate the association of FIB-4 with outcomes of AIS after IV tPA. Consecutive AIS patients receiving IV tPA from 2006 to 2018 at a single stroke centre were studied in a retrospective cohort study. Multivariable adjusted logistic regression was performed to assess associations of FIB-4 with outcomes. The primary outcome was SICH, and secondary outcomes included functional independence (mRS of 0–2) and mortality measured at 90 days. Among 887 patients (median age: 67 (IQR: 57–77)), 342 had FIB-4 < 1.3 and 161 had FIB-4 > 2.67. A greater proportion of moderate to severe strokes (NIHSS ≥10) occurred in the FIB-4 > 2.67 group (n = 142, 88.8%) compared to the FIB-4 < 1.3 group (n = 208, 61.2%). Amongst the different stroke subtypes, median FIB-4 was highest in cardioembolic stroke (CES) compared to the 3 other non-CES stroke subtypes (1.90 (IQR: 1.41–2.69)). Following IV tPA, having FIB-4 > 2.67 was associated with an increased rate of SICH (adjusted OR: 4.09, 95% CI: 1.04–16.16, p = 0.045) and increased mortality (adjusted OR 3.05, 95% CI: 1.28–7.26, p = 0.012). Advanced liver fibrosis was associated with an increased rate of SICH and increased 90-day mortality after IV tPA. The FIB-4 score may be useful for prognostication after IV tPA. Full article