Publications by authors named "Leo A M Aerden"

Article Synopsis
  • The study compares two strategies for managing high blood pressure in patients with ischaemic strokes who are eligible for intravenous thrombolysis: an active blood-pressure-lowering strategy and a conservative, non-lowering approach.
  • Conducted across 37 Dutch stroke centers, it involved eligible adults with elevated blood pressure and aimed to assess functional outcomes at 90 days, alongside secondary measures like complications and treatment timing.
  • The trial started in January 2015 but was prematurely halted due to low patient enrollment and lack of funding.
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Background: After mild stroke persistent balance limitations may occur, creating a risk factor for fear of falling, falls, and reduced activity levels. To investigate whether individuals in the chronic phase after mild stroke show balance and gait limitations, elevated fall risk, reduced balance confidence, and physical activity levels compared to healthy controls.

Methods: An observational case-control study was performed.

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Background: It is unknown if ambulance paramedics adequately assess neurological deficits used for prehospital stroke scales to detect anterior large-vessel occlusions. We aimed to compare prehospital assessment of these stroke-related deficits by paramedics with in-hospital assessment by physicians.

Methods: We used data from 2 prospective cohort studies: the LPSS (Leiden Prehospital Stroke Study) and PRESTO study (Prehospital Triage of Patients With Suspected Stroke).

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Background And Purpose: Direct transportation to a thrombectomy-capable intervention center is beneficial for patients with ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion (LVO), but can delay intravenous thrombolytics (IVT). The aim of this modeling study was to estimate the effect of prehospital triage strategies on treatment delays and overtriage in different regions.

Methods: We used data from two prospective cohort studies in the Netherlands: the Leiden Prehospital Stroke Study and the PRESTO study.

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Importance: Dual thrombolytic treatment with small bolus alteplase and mutant prourokinase has the potential to be a safer and more efficacious treatment for ischemic stroke than alteplase alone because mutant prourokinase is designed to act only on degraded fibrin without affecting circulating fibrinogen.

Objective: To assess the safety and efficacy of this dual thrombolytic treatment compared with alteplase.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This controlled, open-label randomized clinical trial with a blinded end point was conducted from August 10, 2019, to March 26, 2022, with a total follow-up of 30 days.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study is looking at a new treatment for stroke that uses a combination of medicine called alteplase and a special version of another medicine called pro-urokinase (m-proUK) to see if it works better and is safer than just using alteplase alone.
  • The research involves many hospitals and will include 200 patients who have had a type of stroke called ischemic. Half will get the new treatment and half will get the regular treatment.
  • They will check for any bleeding in the brain and how well the patients recover after the treatment to see which option is better overall.
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Anxiety and depression are common mental health disorders in stroke patients, and often co-occur. However, in contrast to depression, there is limited research about anxiety after stroke, although impact of anxiety can be substantial. Therefore, this cross-sectional observational study investigated determinants of anxiety after stroke and compared them with determinants of depression after stroke.

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Proprioception is important for regaining motor function in the paretic upper extremity after stroke. However, clinical assessments of proprioception are subjective and require verbal responses from the patient to applied proprioceptive stimuli. Cortical responses evoked by robotic wrist perturbations and measured by electroencephalography (EEG) may be an objective method to support current clinical assessments of proprioception.

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Importance: The efficacy of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for symptomatic large anterior vessel occlusion (sLAVO) sharply decreases with time. Because EVT is restricted to comprehensive stroke centers, prehospital triage of patients with acute stroke codes for sLAVO is crucial, and although several prediction scales are already in use, external validation, head-to-head comparison, and feasibility data are lacking.

Objective: To conduct external validation and head-to-head comparisons of 7 sLAVO prediction scales in the emergency medical service (EMS) setting and to assess scale feasibility by EMS paramedics.

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Objective: Life satisfaction is reduced in stroke patients. However, as a rule, rehabilitation goals are not aimed at life satisfaction, but at activities and participation. In order to optimize life satisfaction in stroke patients, rehabilitation should take into account the determinants of life satisfaction.

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Importance: Intra-arterial treatment (IAT) for acute ischemic stroke caused by intracranial arterial occlusion leads to improved functional outcome in patients treated within 6 hours after onset. The influence of treatment delay on treatment effect is not yet known.

Objective: To evaluate the influence of time from stroke onset to the start of treatment and from stroke onset to reperfusion on the effect of IAT.

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Background: In patients with acute ischemic stroke caused by a proximal intracranial arterial occlusion, intraarterial treatment is highly effective for emergency revascularization. However, proof of a beneficial effect on functional outcome is lacking.

Methods: We randomly assigned eligible patients to either intraarterial treatment plus usual care or usual care alone.

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Objective: Caregivers play an important role in the well-being of stroke patients, and are known to experience considerable strain 3 months or more after patient discharge. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and determinants of caregiver strain early after discharge.

Methods: Six weeks after discharge from the hospital or rehabilitation setting stroke-surviving patients and their caregivers were seen by a specialized nurse.

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