Impact of workflow times on successful reperfusion after endovascular treatment in the late time window.

Background And Purpose: Successful and complete reperfusion should be the aim of every endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) procedure. However, the effect of time delays on successful reperfusion in late window stroke patients presenting 6-to-24 h from onset has not been investigated.

Materials And Methods: We pooled individual patient-level data from seven trials and registries for anterior circulation stroke patients treated with EVT between 6 and 24 h from onset.

Association Between CT With Angiography and 30-Day Risk of Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack in a Canadian Emergency Department Setting.

Introduction: A subset of undifferentiated vertigo cases can be attributed to dangerous central causes such as posterior circulation ischemic stroke (PCIS) or transient ischemic attack (TIA). Due to a lack of validated clinical risk scoring tools, there is currently high heterogeneity in emergency department (ED) neuroimaging practices for patients presenting with undifferentiated vertigo. Therefore, this study assessed the utility of head and neck CT with angiography (CTA) for risk stratifying ED patients presenting with vertigo.

Adaptive Platform Trials in Stroke.

Clinical trials of treatments for stroke have generally utilized 2-arm, randomized designs to evaluate a single intervention against a control. Running separate clinical trials, with each addressing a single therapeutic question, is resource intensive and slows evidence generation, especially in a field with rapidly expanding treatment options and evolving practices. Platform trials-randomized clinical trials designed to evaluate multiple interventions that may enter and exit the ongoing platform based on a master protocol-accelerate the investigation of multiple therapeutic options within a single infrastructure.

Safety and Efficacy of Intravenous Thrombolysis by Infarct Type in Patients with No Visible Occlusion: A Secondary Analysis of the AcT Trial.

Background: About 25% of patients with acute ischemic stroke have lacunar infarct on follow-up imaging. In this secondary analysis from the AcT (Alteplase Compared With Tenecteplase) trial, we assessed if there is variation in safety or efficacy of intravenous thrombolysis by infarct type in patients with no visible occlusion. We also determined if this effect differed between tenecteplase and alteplase.

Factors Influencing Nerinetide Effect on Infarct Volume in Patients Without Alteplase in the Randomized ESCAPE-NA1 Trial.

Background: In the ESCAPE-NA1 trial (Efficacy and Safety of Nerinetide for the Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke), treatment with nerinetide was associated with a smaller infarct volume among patients who did not receive intravenous alteplase. We assessed the effect of nerinetide on the surrogate imaging outcome of final infarct volume in patients who did not receive intravenous alteplase and explored predictors of outcome and modifiers of nerinetide's effect on infarct volume.

Methods: ESCAPE-NA1 was a multicenter, randomized trial in which patients with acute stroke with a baseline Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score >4, undergoing endovascular thrombectomy, were randomized to receive intravenous nerinetide or placebo.

Impact of Clinical Trial Enrollment on Thrombolysis Workflow in a Mobile Stroke Unit: Results from the AcT Trial.

Background: The Edmonton-based mobile stroke unit (MSU), which transports patients to the University of Alberta Hospital (UAH), enrolled patients in the Intravenous Tenecteplase Compared with Alteplase for Acute Ischemic Stroke (AcT) trial. We examined the feasibility of trial enrollment in MSU, its impact on acute stroke workflow metrics and functional outcomes at 90-120 days.

Methods: In this post hoc analysis, patients were divided into three groups based on enrollment site: MSU ( = 43), UAH ( = 273) and non-UAH ( = 1261).

Automatic Matching Algorithms to Identify Eligible Participants for Stroke Trials: A Proof-of-Concept Study.

Background: Clinical trials often struggle to recruit enough participants, with only 10% of eligible patients enrolling. This is concerning for conditions like stroke, where timely decision-making is crucial. Frontline clinicians typically screen patients manually, but this approach can be overwhelming and lead to many eligible patients being overlooked.

Management Approaches to Intraluminal Thrombi in Acutely Symptomatic Carotid Stenosis.

Background: The presence of an intraluminal thrombus in acutely symptomatic carotid stenosis is thought to represent a high-risk lesion for short-term stroke reccurrence though evidence on natural history and treatment is lacking, leading to equipoise and much variation in practice. The objective of this study was to map these variations in practice (medical management and timing of revascularization), determine the considerations that influence clinician decision-making in this condition and gather opinions that inform the development and design of future trials in the area.

Methods: This was a mixed-methods study using both quantitative survey methods and qualitative interview-based methods.

Cerebral Infarct Growth: Pathophysiology, Pragmatic Assessment, and Clinical Implications.

Cerebral ischemic injury occurs when blood flow drops below a critical level, resulting in an energy failure. The progressive transformation of hypoperfused viable tissue, the ischemic penumbra, into infarction is a mechanism shared by patients with ischemic stroke if timely reperfusion is not achieved. Yet, the pace at which this transformation occurs, known as the infarct growth rate (IGR), exhibits remarkable heterogeneity among patients, brain regions, and over time, reflecting differences in compensatory collateral flow and ischemic tolerance.

Consent-Related Outcomes in the Alteplase Compared to Tenecteplase Trial.

Background And Objectives: In recent years, researchers have sought to address the challenges of obtaining informed consent for participation in acute stroke trials. We studied outcomes related to the use of deferral of consent in the phase 3 Alteplase Compared to Tenecteplase (AcT) trial.

Methods: As part of our protocol, we captured methods of consent, participant withdrawals, door-to-randomization times, and door-to-needle times.

Psychiatric Camouflage: A Case Series.

Organic brain disorders are often camouflaged by psychiatric manifestations. Management of such 'pseudo-psychiatric' illnesses can be complicated due to the disruptive behaviour of the patients and/or lack of appropriate response to treatment. In this case series, we present three cases, each of which was initially diagnosed as a psychiatric illness but was later found to have an underlying neurological disorder.

Reinforcement of core foundational science concepts during clinical rotations: a strategy to enhance medical student learning and diagnostic reasoning.

Cognitive science principles can facilitate integrating and retaining basic science concepts during the clinical years of undergraduate medical education. We hypothesized that reinforcing foundational science concepts during the core clerkship experiences fosters the development of clinical reasoning in medical students. A patient simulation session on diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in the pediatric clerkship was chosen to pilot the program.

Advance Consent for participation in Acute Stroke Trials (ACTION): protocol for a feasibility study.

Introduction: Obtaining informed consent for research from patients in medical emergencies remains a challenge, particularly in acute stroke care as treatment must be administered quickly and patients often arrive in the hospital in a state of incapacitation. Adaptations to standard consenting approaches-such as the use of surrogate consent or deferral of consent-have significant limitations. This feasibility study aims to test a new consenting approach in acute stroke care that we call advance consent.

Understanding physician preferences about combined thrombolysis and thrombectomy in patients with large vessel occlusion: An international cross-sectional survey.

Background: A recently published individual participant-level meta-analysis found that EVT alone was not non-inferior to combined intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) and EVT. Our aim was to determine factors that influence physicians' treatment choice of IVT-alone versus EVT-alone versus a combined approach.

Methods: We performed an international, structured, invite-only survey among physicians treating patients presenting with AIS.

De novo formation of a carotid web in an adult: A longitudinal observation.

Background: Carotid web is a thin shelf-like fibrointimal membrane arising from the posterior or posterolateral wall of the carotid bulb. Webs cause stroke, especially in younger adults with high risk of recurrence.

Methods: To report the first case of de-novo formation of an asymptomatic carotid web and describe longitudinal clinical-angiographic follow-up.

Co-localization of NCCT hypodensity and CTA spot sign predicts substantial intracerebral hematoma expansion: The Black-&-White sign.

Background: Existing radiological markers of hematoma expansion (HE) show modest predictive accuracy. We aim to investigate a novel radiological marker that co-localizes findings from non-contrast CT (NCCT) and CT angiography (CTA) to predict HE.

Methods: Consecutive acute intracerebral hemorrhage patients admitted at Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary, Canada, were included.

Unintended Consequences of Immune Therapy for Immune-Mediated Diseases: Paradoxical Psoriasis and Dupilumab-Associated Musculoskeletal Syndrome.

Two presentations at the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) 2023 annual meeting focused on unintended consequences of immunomodulatory therapy for psoriasis (PsO). Dr. Elizabeth Wallace presented on unintended consequences of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors for treating PsO and other inflammatory disorders.

The treatment effect across ASPECTS in acute ischemic stroke: Analysis from the AcT trial.

Background: Early ischemic changes on baseline imaging are commonly evaluated for acute stroke decision-making and prognostication.

Aims: We assess the association of early ischemic changes on clinical outcomes and whether it differs between intravenous tenecteplase and Alteplase.

Methods: Data are from the phase 3, Alteplase compared to Tenecteplase (AcT) trial.