Publications by authors named "Pere Cardona-Portela"

Article Synopsis
  • This study analyzed decisions regarding decompressive hemicraniectomy (DHC) and early withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy (WLST) in patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO) and large ischemic strokes from the SELECT2 trial.* -
  • Among 352 patients, DHC was utilized in 55 patients, and WLST was chosen for 81, showing no significant differences in usage between those receiving endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) and those treated medically.* -
  • About 21% of DHC patients were able to walk independently after one year, indicating that DHC did not negatively impact the benefits of thrombectomy, while WLST generally resulted in poor outcomes.*
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Article Synopsis
  • Endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) has proven safe and effective for patients suffering from large core strokes, but the effects of reperfusion quality and procedure details on outcomes are still unclear.
  • In the SELECT2 trial, findings indicated that 80% of patients experienced successful reperfusion, which correlates with better clinical outcomes, particularly in those who achieved near-complete reperfusion.
  • Longer procedure times negatively impacted patient outcomes, while the method of thrombectomy (aspiration vs stent-retriever) showed no significant differences in reperfusion success or functional recovery.
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Endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) safety and efficacy in patients with large core infarcts receiving oral anticoagulants (OAC) are unknown. In the SELECT2 trial (NCT03876457), 29 of 180 (16%; vitamin K antagonists 15, direct OACs 14) EVT, and 18 of 172 (10%; vitamin K antagonists 3, direct OACs 15) medical management (MM) patients reported OAC use at baseline. EVT was not associated with better clinical outcomes in the OAC group (EVT 6 [4-6] vs MM 5 [4-6], adjusted generalized odds ratio 0.

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Background: The impact of thrombolytics directed towards different thrombus components regarding site of occlusion in combination with mechanical thrombectomy (MT) to achieve endovascular complete recanalization is unclear.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of a prospective database in two stroke centers. Intracranial thrombi retrieved by MT were analyzed using hematoxylin-eosin staining for fibrin and red blood cell proportions, and CD61 immunostaining for platelets proportion in thrombus (PLTPT) assessment.

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Article Synopsis
  • Researchers looked at how bleeding in the brain (intracerebral hemorrhage or ICH) affects people who had a specific treatment for severe strokes called endovascular thrombectomy (EVT).
  • Out of the 351 patients studied, many experienced bleeding, especially those who had EVT, but serious types of bleeding were rare.
  • In the end, having some bleeding didn’t make the patients’ health outcomes worse, and there may be new treatments that could help those with bleeding issues in similar cases.
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Article Synopsis
  • Patients with large ischemic core strokes often have poor outcomes and are rarely transferred for endovascular thrombectomy (EVT), leading to a need for better understanding of treatment effects in different patient groups.
  • The study analyzed data from the SELECT2 trial, focusing on adults with acute ischemic strokes due to specific artery occlusions, comparing those who were directly treated at EVT centers with those who were transferred.
  • Results indicated that EVT improved functional outcomes in both transfer and non-transfer patients, suggesting that EVT can benefit patients regardless of transfer delays, although the median ASPECTS score showed a decline during transfers.
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Background: Multiple randomised trials have shown efficacy and safety of endovascular thrombectomy in patients with large ischaemic stroke. The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term (ie, at 1 year) evidence of benefit of thrombectomy for these patients.

Methods: SELECT2 was a phase 3, open-label, international, randomised controlled trial with blinded endpoint assessment, conducted at 31 hospitals in the USA, Canada, Spain, Switzerland, Australia, and New Zealand.

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Importance: Whether endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) efficacy for patients with acute ischemic stroke and large cores varies depending on the extent of ischemic injury is uncertain.

Objective: To describe the relationship between imaging estimates of irreversibly injured brain (core) and at-risk regions (mismatch) and clinical outcomes and EVT treatment effect.

Design, Setting, And Participants: An exploratory analysis of the SELECT2 trial, which randomized 352 adults (18-85 years) with acute ischemic stroke due to occlusion of the internal carotid or middle cerebral artery (M1 segment) and large ischemic core to EVT vs medical management (MM), across 31 global centers between October 2019 and September 2022.

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Importance: Prehospital transfer protocols are based on rapid access to reperfusion therapies for patients with ischemic stroke. The effect of different protocols among patients receiving a final diagnosis of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is unknown.

Objective: To determine the effect of direct transport to an endovascular treatment (EVT)-capable stroke center vs transport to the nearest local stroke center.

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Objectives: To study prehospital care process in relation to hospital outcomes in stroke-code cases first attended by 2 different levels of ambulance. To analyze factors associated with a satisfactory functional outcome at 3 months.

Material And Methods: Prospective multicenter observational cohort study.

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Importance: ApTOLL is a TLR4 antagonist with proven preclinical neuroprotective effect and a safe profile in healthy volunteers.

Objective: To assess the safety and efficacy of ApTOLL in combination with endovascular treatment (EVT) for patients with ischemic stroke.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This phase 1b/2a, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study was conducted at 15 sites in Spain and France from 2020 to 2022.

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Introduction: Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is characterized by the accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) in brain vessels and is a main cause of lobar intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in the elderly. CAA is associated with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) markers of small vessel disease (SVD). Since Aβ is also accumulated in Alzheimer's disease (AD) in the brain parenchyma, we aimed to study if several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) previously associated with AD were also associated with CAA pathology.

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Article Synopsis
  • International guidelines advise against using intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) in ischemic stroke patients who have recently taken direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC).
  • A multicenter study examined the risk of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) in 832 patients who underwent IVT within 48 hours of DOAC use, compared to over 32,000 controls without recent DOAC intake.
  • Results highlighted varied outcomes based on prior DOAC therapy, with focus on sICH incidence measured through established stroke scales, and included an analysis of DOAC levels and reversal treatments prior to IVT.
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Background: Trials of the efficacy and safety of endovascular thrombectomy in patients with large ischemic strokes have been carried out in limited populations.

Methods: We performed a prospective, randomized, open-label, adaptive, international trial involving patients with stroke due to occlusion of the internal carotid artery or the first segment of the middle cerebral artery to assess endovascular thrombectomy within 24 hours after onset. Patients had a large ischemic-core volume, defined as an Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Score of 3 to 5 (range, 0 to 10, with lower scores indicating larger infarction) or a core volume of at least 50 ml on computed tomography perfusion or diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging.

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Importance: The role of endovascular thrombectomy is uncertain for patients presenting beyond 24 hours of the time they were last known well.

Objective: To evaluate functional and safety outcomes for endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) vs medical management in patients with large-vessel occlusion beyond 24 hours of last known well.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This retrospective observational cohort study enrolled patients between July 2012 and December 2021 at 17 centers across the United States, Spain, Australia, and New Zealand.

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Objective: This study was undertaken to evaluate functional and safety outcomes for endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) versus medical management (MM) in patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO) and mild neurological deficits, stratified by perfusion imaging mismatch.

Methods: The pooled cohort consisted of patients with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) < 6 and internal carotid artery (ICA), M1, or M2 occlusions from the Extending the Time for Thrombolysis in Emergecy Neurological Deficits - Intra-Arterial (EXTEND-IA) Trial,  Tenecteplase vs Alteplase before Endovascular Thrombectomy in Ischemic Stroke (EXTEND-IA TNK) trials Part I/II and prospective data from 15 EVT centers from October 2010 to April 2020. RAPID software estimated ischemic core and mismatch.

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Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is a major cause of lobar intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in elderly patients. Growing evidence suggests a potential role of aquaporin 4 (AQP4) in amyloid-beta-associated diseases, including CAA pathology. Our aim was to investigate the circulating levels of AQP4 in a cohort of patients who had suffered a lobar ICH with a clinical diagnosis of CAA.

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Background And Purpose: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with a small but clinically significant risk of stroke, the cause of which is frequently cryptogenic. In a large multinational cohort of consecutive COVID-19 patients with stroke, we evaluated clinical predictors of cryptogenic stroke, short-term functional outcomes and in-hospital mortality among patients according to stroke etiology.

Methods: We explored clinical characteristics and short-term outcomes of consecutively evaluated patients 18 years of age or older with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 from 31 hospitals in 4 countries (3/1/20-6/16/20).

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Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) refers to beta-amyloid (Aβ) deposition in brain vessels and is clinically the main cause of lobar intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Aβ can also accumulate in brain parenchyma forming neuritic plaques in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Our study aimed to determine whether the peripheral lipid profile and lipoprotein composition are associated with cerebral beta-amyloidosis pathology and may reflect biological differences in AD and CAA.

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Background: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is a disease of increasing importance and it is frequent in stroke patients. SDB is being recognized as an independent risk factor for several clinical consequences, including cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease.

Methods: The present review summarizes the current evidence for an independent association between SDB and stroke, defining SDB subgroups, mechanisms, confounding factors and other epidemiological aspects.

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