Publications by authors named "N A Chagnon"

Background: We aimed to derive a clinical decision rule to identify patients with transient ischemic attack (TIA) or minor stroke most likely to benefit from echocardiography.

Methods: This multicentre prospective cohort study enrolled adults diagnosed with TIA/minor stroke in the emergency department who underwent echocardiograms within 90 days, from 13 Canadian academic emergency departments from October 2006 to May 2017. Our outcome was clinically significant echocardiogram findings.

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Objectives: Emergent vascular imaging identifies a subset of patients requiring immediate specialized care (i.e. carotid stenosis > 50%, dissection or free-floating thrombus).

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Background For patients with atrial fibrillation seen in the emergency department (ED) following a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or minor stroke, the impact of initiating oral anticoagulation immediately rather than deferring the decision to outpatient follow-up is unknown. Methods and Results We conducted a planned secondary data analysis of a prospective cohort of 11 507 adults in 13 Canadian EDs between 2006 and 2018. Patients were eligible if they were aged 18 years or older, with a final diagnosis of TIA or minor stroke with previously documented or newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study validates that certain CT findings in patients with transient ischemic attack (TIA) are linked to an increased risk of subsequent strokes.
  • Among the 8670 patients enrolled, 4547 showed signs of ischemia on CT, with a subsequent stroke rate of 3.8% within 90 days.
  • Specific combinations of acute and chronic ischemia or microangiopathy significantly raised the risk of stroke, especially shortly after the initial event.
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Objective: Stroke presenting as dizziness is a diagnostic challenge in frontline settings, given the multitude of benign conditions that present similarly. The risk of stroke after episodic dizziness is unknown, leading to divergent guidance on optimal workup and management. Prior TIA risk scores have shown a history of dizziness is a negative predictor of subsequent stroke.

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