Faculty Bibliography

Background and Purpose- The first of the 2 NINDS (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) Study trials did not show a significant increase in early neurological improvement, defined as National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) improvement by ≥4, with alteplase treatment. We hypothesized that early neurological improvement defined as a percentage change in NIHSS (percent change NIHSS) at 24 hours is superior to other definitions in predicting 3-month functional outcomes and using this definition there would be treatment benefit of alteplase over placebo at 24 hours. Methods- We analyzed the NINDS rt-PA Stroke Study (Parts 1 and 2) trial data. Percent change NIHSS was defined as ([admission NIHSS score-24-hour NIHSS score]×100/admission NIHSS score] and delta NIHSS as (admission NIHSS score-24-hour NIHSS score). We compared early neurological improvement using these definitions between alteplase versus placebo patients. We also used receiver operating characteristic curve to determine the predictive association of early neurological improvement with excellent 3-month functional outcomes (Barthel Index score of 95-100 and modified Rankin Scale score of 0-1), good 3-month functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale score of 0-2), and 3-month infarct volume. Results- There was a significantly greater improvement in the 24-hour median percent change NIHSS among patients treated with alteplase compared with the placebo group (28% versus 15%; P=0.045) but not median delta NIHSS (3 versus 2; P=0.471). Receiver operating characteristic curve comparison showed that percent change NIHSS (ROC_percent) was better than delta NIHSS (ROC_delta) and admission NIHSS (ROC_admission) with regards to excellent 3-month Barthel Index (ROC_percent, 0.83; ROC_delta, 0.76; ROC_admission, 0.75), excellent 3-month modified Rankin Scale (ROC_percent, 0.83; ROC_delta, 0.74; ROC_admission, 0.78), and good 3-month modified Rankin Scale (ROC_percent, 0.83; ROC_delta, 0.76; ROC_admission, 0.78). Conclusions- In the NINDS rt-PA trial, alteplase was associated with a significant percent change improvement in NIHSS at 24 hours. Percent change in NIHSS may be a better surrogate marker of thrombolytic activity and 3-month outcomes.

The left atrial appendage (LAA) is the most common site of thrombus formation in patients with atrial fibrillation. Therefore, better knowledge of the morphology, physiology, and function of the LAA may provide a better estimate of stroke risk. The LAA morphology is currently classified into 4 categories: chicken-wing (CW), windsock, cauliflower, and cactus. Chicken-wing is the most common and carries lower risk. This classification system, however, lacks consistent inter-rater reliability and correlation with stroke risk.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE:Early neurologic improvement (ENI) in patients treated with alteplase has been shown to correlate with functional outcome. However, the definition of ENI remains controversial and has varied across studies. We hypothesized that ENI defined as a percentage change in the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score (percent change NIHSS score) at 24-hours would better correlate with favorable outcomes at 3 months than ENI defined as the change in NIHSS score (delta NIHSS score) at 24 hours. METHODS:Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected single-center quality improvement data was performed of all acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients treated with alteplase. We examined delta NIHSS score and percent change NIHSS score in unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression models as predictors of a favorable outcome at 3 months (defined as mRS 0-1). RESULTS:Among 586 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 194 (33.1%) had a favorable outcome at 3 months. In fully adjusted models, both delta NIHSS score (OR per point decrease 1.27; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.19-1.36) and percent change NIHSS score (OR per 10 percent decrease 1.17; 95% CI 1.12-1.22) were associated with favorable functional outcome at 3 months. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve comparison showed that the area under the ROC curve for percent change NIHSS score (.755) was greater than delta NIHSS score (.613) or admission NIHSS (.694). CONCLUSIONS:Percentage change in NIHSS score may be a better surrogate marker of ENI and functional outcome in AIS patients after receiving acute thrombolytic therapy. More studies are needed to confirm our findings.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW/OBJECTIVE:Principles of intracranial pressure (ICP) management continue to be an essential part of the neurointensivist's skillset as appropriate treatment decisions can prevent secondary injury to the central nervous system. This review of the literature aims to: discuss commonly encountered pathologies associated with increased ICP, summarize diagnostic approaches used in evaluating ICP, and present evidence-based treatment paradigms that drive clinical care in intensive care units. RECENT FINDINGS/RESULTS:Recent topics of discussion include invasive and non-invasive modalities of diagnosis and monitoring, recent developments in hypothermia, hyperosmolar therapy, pharmacological interventions, and surgical therapies. The authors also present an example of an algorithm used within our system of hospitals for managing patients with elevated ICP. Recent advances have shown the mortality benefits in appropriately recognizing and treating increased ICP. Multiple modalities of treatment have been explored, and evidence has shown benefit in some. Further work continues to provide clarity in the appropriate management of intracranial hypertension.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE:Patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) frequently present with hypertension, but it is unclear if this is due to pre-existing hypertension (prHTN) or to the bleed itself or associated pain. We sought to assess the relationship between prHTN and admission systolic blood pressure (aBP) and bleed severity. METHODS:We retrospectively assessed the relationship between prHTN and aBP and NIHSS in patients with ICH at 3 institutions. RESULTS:Of 251 patients, 170 (68%) had prHTN based on history of hypertension/antihypertensive use. Median aBP was significantly higher in those with prHTN (155 mm Hg (IQR 135-181) versus 139 mm Hg (IQR 124-158), P < .001). Patients with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) on electrocardiogram (ECG) or transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) had significantly higher aBP than those without LVH (median aBP 195 mm Hg (IQR 155-216) for patients with LVH on ECG versus 147 mm Hg (IQR 129-163) for patients with no LVH on ECG, P < .001; median aBP 181 mm Hg (IQR 153-214) for patients with LVH on TTE versus 152 mm Hg (IQR 137-169) for patients with no LVH on TTE, P = .01). prHTN was associated with a higher median NIHSS (11 (IQR 3-20) for patients with history of hypertension/antihypertensive use versus 6 (IQR 1-14) for patients without this history (P = .02); 9 (IQR 3-19) versus 5 (IQR 2-13) for patients with/without LVH on ECG (P = .085); and 10 (IQR 5-18) versus 5 (IQR 1-13) for patients with/without LVH on TTE (P = .046). CONCLUSIONS:Patients with ICH who have prHTN have higher aBP and NIHSS, suggesting that prHTN may worsen reactive hypertension in the setting of ICH.

Importance/UNASSIGNED:Despite secondary prevention strategies with proven efficacy, recurrent stroke rates remain high, particularly in racial/ethnic minority populations who are disproportionately affected by stroke. Objective/UNASSIGNED:To determine the efficacy of a culturally tailored skills-based educational intervention with telephone follow-up compared with standard discharge care on systolic blood pressure reduction in a multiethnic cohort of patients with mild/moderate stroke/transient ischemic attack. Design, Setting, and Participants/UNASSIGNED:Randomized clinical trial with 1-year follow-up. Participants were white, black, and Hispanic patients with mild/moderate stroke/transient ischemic attack prospectively enrolled from 4 New York City, New York, medical centers during hospitalization or emergency department visit between August 2012 and May 2016. Through screening of stroke admissions and emergency department notifications, 1083 eligible patients were identified, of whom 256 declined to participate and 275 were excluded for other reasons. Analyses were intention to treat. Interventions/UNASSIGNED:The Discharge Educational Strategies for Reduction of Vascular Events (DESERVE) intervention is a skills-based, culturally tailored discharge program with follow-up calls delivered by a community health coordinator. This intervention was developed using a community engagement approach. Main Outcomes and Measures/UNASSIGNED:The primary outcome was systolic blood pressure reduction at 12 months postdischarge. Results/UNASSIGNED:A total of 552 participants were randomized to receive intervention or usual care (281 women [51%]; mean [SD] age, 64.61 [2.9] years; 180 Hispanic [33%], 151 non-Hispanic white [27%], and 183 non-Hispanic black [33%]). At 1-year follow-up, no significant difference in systolic blood pressure reduction was observed between intervention and usual care groups (β = 2.5 mm Hg; 95% CI, -1.9 to 6.9). Although not powered for subgroup analysis, we found that among Hispanic individuals, the intervention arm had a clinically and statically significant 9.9 mm Hg-greater mean systolic blood pressure reduction compared with usual care (95% CI, 1.8-18.0). There were no significant differences between arms among non-Hispanic white (β = 3.3; 95% CI, -4.1 to 10.7) and non-Hispanic black participants (β = -1.6; 95% CI, -10.1 to 6.8). Conclusions and Relevance/UNASSIGNED:Few behavioral intervention studies in individuals who have had stroke have reported clinically meaningful reductions in blood pressure at 12 months, and fewer have focused on a skills-based approach. Results of secondary analyses suggest that culturally tailored, skills-based strategies may be an important alternative to knowledge-focused approaches in achieving sustained vascular risk reduction and addressing racial/ethnic stroke disparities; however, these findings should be tested in future studies. Trial Registration/UNASSIGNED:ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01836354.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE:The relationship between in-hospital hyperglycemia and neurological outcome after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is not well studied. METHODS:We analyzed the relationships between pre-hospital and hospital variables including highest in-hospital glucose (HIHGLC) and discharge Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), discharge Modified Rankin Scale (MRS) and 3-month MRS using a single-institution cohort of ICH patients between 2013 and 2015. RESULTS:There were 106 patients in our sample. Mean HIHGLC was 154 ± 58mg/dL for patients with discharge GCS of 15 and 180 ± 57mg/dL for patients with GCS < 15; 146 ± 55mg/dL for patients with discharge MRS 0-3 and 175 ± 58mg/dL for patients with discharge MRS 4-6; and 149 ± 52mg/dL for patients with 3-month MRS of 0-3 and 166 ± 61mg/dL for patients with 3-month MRS of 4-6. On univariate analysis, discharge GCS was associated with HIHGLC (P = .01), age (P = .006), ICH volume (P = .008), and length of stay (LOS) (P = .01); discharge MRS was associated with HIHGLC (P < .001), age (P < .001), premorbid MRS (P = .046), ICH volume (P < .001), and LOS (P < .001); and 3-month MRS was associated with HIHGLC (P = .006), discharge MRS (P < .001), age (P = .001), sex (P = .002), ICH volume (P = .03), and length of stay (P = .004). On multivariate analysis, discharge GCS only had a significant relationship with ICH volume (odds ratio [OR] .949, .927-.971); discharge MRS had a significant relationship with age (OR 1.043, 1.009-1.079), premorbid MRS (OR 2.622, 1.144-6.011), and ICH volume (OR 1.047, 1.003-1.093); and 3-month MRS only had a significant relationship with age (OR 1.039, 1.010-1.069). CONCLUSIONS:The relationship between in-hospital hyperglycemia and neurological outcomes in ICH patients was meaningful on univariate, but not multivariate, analysis. Glucose control after ICH is important.