Clinical Utility and Cost of Inpatient Transthoracic Echocardiography Following Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Background And Purpose: It is unclear whether it is clinically necessary or cost-effective to routinely obtain a transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) during inpatient admission for ischemic stroke.

Methods: We assessed consecutive patients presenting with acute ischemic stroke at a comprehensive stroke center from 2015 to 2017 who underwent TTE. We assessed for findings on TTE that would warrant urgent intervention including cardiac thrombus, atrial myxoma, mitral stenosis, valve vegetation, valve dysfunction requiring surgery, and low ejection fraction.

Normal Systolic Blood Pressure at Presentation With Acute Ischemic Stroke Predicts Cardioembolic Etiology.

Background Early insight into the possible etiology of ischemic stroke allows for early initiation of mechanism-specific secondary stroke prevention. Initial systolic blood pressure during acute ischemic stroke may relate to stroke etiology. We sought to determine whether normotension at presentation with acute ischemic stroke predicts cardioembolic etiology.