Publications by authors named "Warach S"
Introduction: The effects of imaging-based intravenous thrombolysis on outcomes based on patient sex remain unclear. We aimed to investigate whether outcomes among patients with stroke with an unknown onset time and treated with imaging-based intravenous thrombolysis are influenced by their sex.
Patients And Methods: This study was a pooled analysis of individual patient-level data acquired from the Evaluation of unknown Onset Stroke thrombolysis trials.
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.*
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.
Purpose: This study aimed to describe stroke survivors' experiences receiving telemedicine visits at the Lone Star Stroke Consortium during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Materials And Methods: A qualitative descriptive phenomenological design was applied to gather patients' telemedicine experiences through in-depth interviews, using a study guide. Audio-recorded interviews were conducted via ZOOM and transcribed verbatim.
In the 2024 David G. Sherman Lecture, Steven J. Warach, illustrating with examples from his research, walks through the history of magnetic resonance imaging in acute stroke from the 1990s and early 2000s with the introduction, validation, and application of diffusion-weighted imaging, penumbral imaging (the diffusion-perfusion mismatch), and other imaging markers of the acute stroke pathology into routine clinical practice and stroke trials.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The optimal triage strategy for patients suspected of acute ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion (LVO) remains debated. We explored trends in presentation mode and their outcomes for mechanical thrombectomy (MT) hospitalizations based on the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database.
Methods: We retrospectively explored the NIS database from 2016 to 2020 for stroke hospitalizations with MT.
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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe investigated relations between cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD) markers and evolution of the ischemic tissue from ischemic core to final infarct in people with acute ischemic stroke treated with intravenous thrombolysis. Data from the Stroke Imaging Repository (STIR) and Virtual International Stroke Trials Archive (VISTA) were used. Any pre-existing lacunar infarcts and white matter hyperintensities (WMH) were assessed on magnetic resonance (MR) before thrombolytic therapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Tenecteplase (TNK) is considered a promising option for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) with the potential to decrease door-to-needle times (DTN). This study investigates DTN metrics and trends after transition to tenecteplase.
Methods: The Lone Star Stroke (LSS) Research Consortium TNK registry incorporated data from three Texas hospitals that transitioned to TNK.
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.
Article Synopsis
- The study examines the differences in the effectiveness and safety of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) for treating strokes of unknown onset, dividing patients into two categories: wake-up stroke (WUS) and non-wake-up unwitnessed stroke (non-WUS).
- Using data from two trials, researchers analyzed 634 patients to see how IVT compared to control treatments, looking at outcomes like functional independence and adverse events like bleeding and mortality.
- Results showed that for WUS, IVT led to better outcomes than control, while for non-WUS, the differences were not significant; overall, the mode of stroke onset did not significantly impact the treatment effect.
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.
Background: The pattern of surgical treatments for Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH) in the United States is not well-studied, specifically the trend of utilizing endovascular venous stenting (EVS) as an emerging technique.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to explore the national trend of utilizing different procedures for the treatment of IIH including EVS, Optic Nerve Sheath Fenestration (ONSF), and CSF Shunting, with a focus on novel endovascular procedures. Moreover, we explored rates of 90-day readmission and length of hospital stay following different procedures, besides the effects of sociodemographic and clinical parameters on procedure choice.
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.
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.
Multicenter exploration of tenecteplase transition factors: A quantitative analysis.
J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis
April 2024
Background: Tenecteplase (TNK) is gaining recognition as a novel therapy for acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Despite TNK offering a longer half-life, time and cost saving benefits and comparable treatment and safety profiles to Alteplase (ALT), the adoption of TNK as a treatment for AIS presents challenges for hospital systems.
Objective: Identify barriers and facilitators of TNK implementation at acute care hospitals in Texas.
Background: Tenecteplase (TNK) is emerging as an alternative to alteplase (ALT) for thrombolytic treatment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Compared to ALT, TNK has a longer half-life, shorter administration time, lower cost, and similarly high efficacy in treating large vessel occlusion. Nevertheless, there are barriers to adopting TNK as a treatment for AIS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Integrity of the corticospinal tract (CST) is an important biomarker for upper limb motor function following stroke. However, when structurally compromised, other tracts may become relevant for compensation or recovery of function.
Methods: We used the ENIGMA Stroke Recovery data set, a multicenter, retrospective, and cross-sectional collection of patients with upper limb impairment during the chronic phase of stroke to test the relevance of tracts in individuals with less and more severe (laterality index of CST fractional anisotropy ≥0.
Alteplase has been the primary thrombolytic used in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke since thrombolysis was first established as an effective treatment of acute ischemic stroke in 1995. Tenecteplase, a genetically modified tissue plasminogen activator, has gained attention as an attractive alternative to alteplase given its practical workflow advantages and possible superior efficacy in large vessel recanalization. As more data is analyzed both from randomized trials and non-randomized patient registries, there is mounting support that tenecteplase appears to be at least equally, if not more, safe and potentially more effective than alteplase in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImportance: Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) is a serious complication of stroke thrombolytic therapy. Many stroke centers have adopted 0.25-mg/kg tenecteplase instead of alteplase for stroke thrombolysis based on evidence from randomized comparisons to alteplase as well as for its practical advantages.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: 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.
Background: Imaging repositories are commonly attached to ongoing clinical trials, but capturing, transmitting, and storing images can be complicated and labor-intensive. Typical methods include outdated technologies such as compact discs. Electronic file transfer is becoming more common, but even this requires hours of staff time on dedicated computers in the radiology department.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is a medical emergency leading to morbidity and mortality. Thrombolytic therapy is currently the mainstay for the management of AIS owing to its improvement in neurologic function at 3 months.
Objectives: The objective of this study was to compare the frequency of dosing errors made with tenecteplase versus alteplase administration in management of AIS.