Mitigating the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on controlling vascular risk factors among participants in a carotid stenosis trial.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has presented challenges to managing vascular risk factors with in-person follow-up of patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis enrolled in the CREST2 trial. CREST2 is comparing intensive medical management alone versus intensive medical management plus revascularization with endarterectomy or stenting. We performed a study to evaluate the feasibility of a home-based program for testing blood pressure (BP) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in CREST2.

Factors influencing credentialing of interventionists in the CREST-2 trial.

Background: The Carotid Revascularization and Medical Management for Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis Trial (CREST-2) is a pair of randomized trials assessing the relative efficacy of carotid revascularization in the setting of intensive medical management (IMM) in patients with asymptomatic high-grade atherosclerotic stenosis. One of the trials assesses IMM with or without carotid artery stenting (CAS). Given the low risk of stroke in nonrevascularized patients receiving IMM, it is essential that there be low periprocedural risk of stroke for CAS if it is to show incremental benefit.

Validation of frontal near-infrared spectroscopy as noninvasive bedside monitoring for regional cerebral blood flow in brain-injured patients.

Object: Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) offers noninvasive bedside measurement of direct regional cerebral arteriovenous (mixed) brain oxygenation. To validate the accuracy of this monitoring technique, the authors analyzed the statistical correlation of NIRS and CT perfusion with respect to regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) measurements.

Methods: The authors retrospectively reviewed all cases in which NIRS measurements were obtained at a single, academic neurointensive care unit from February 2008 to June 2011 in which CT perfusion was performed at the same time as NIRS data was collected.

Intraventricular nicardipine for aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage related vasospasm: assessment of 90 days outcome.

Background: Delayed cerebral arterial vasospasm is one of the leading causes of death and disability after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). We evaluated the safety of intraventricular nicardipine (IVN) for vasospasm (VSP) in aSAH patients, and outcomes compared with a control population.

Methods: A retrospective case-control study was conducted for aSAH patients treated with IVN at Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, from March 2009 to January 2011.

Behavioral symptoms in long-term survivors of ischemic stroke.

The range of behavioral changes occurring after stroke has not yet been fully characterized. To evaluate behavioral symptoms after stroke and clinical characteristics that may influence the number and frequency of such symptoms, we compared 53 survivors of mild ischemic stroke with 30 stroke-free controls. Stroke survivor and control participants completed self-ratings of behavioral symptoms and were administered measures of cognitive status (ie, Beck Depression Inventory II, Mini-Mental State Examination, and Controlled Oral Word Association Test).

Joint Commission primary stroke center certification does not affect proband enrollment: the siblings with ischemic stroke study.

Background: The Joint Commission (JC) certifies primary stroke centers in the United States. Whether certification promotes enrollment of study subjects into stroke research studies is not known. We examined whether enrollment performance of centers was related to JC certification status.