Background: Brain natriuretic peptides (BNP) are an important diagnostic and prognostic marker in patients with heart failure. However, the relationship between BNP levels and stroke severity in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) remains unelucidated. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between stroke severity at admission and BNP levels.
Methods: In this prospective observational study, we used data from 513 patients with AF and acute ischemic stroke treated with oral anticoagulants (OAC) registered in the Multicenter Prospective Analysis of Stroke Patients Taking Oral Anticoagulants study. The patients were divided into two groups: high-BNP (≥200 pg/mL) and low-BNP level (<200 pg/mL) groups. We compared the clinical characteristics between the two groups and determined the effect of BNP levels on stroke severity on admission.
Results: Among the 513 enrolled patients, 248 (females, n = 30; median age, 82 years) and 265 (females, n = 76; median age, 71 years) were assigned to the high- and low-BNP level groups, respectively. The high-BNP level group had a higher proportion of patients with severe stroke (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, ≥10) on admission (49.2% vs. 32.8%, p = 0.002) and major vessel occlusion (57.5% vs. 39.2%, p < 0.0001) than that had by the low-BNP level group. Multivariate analysis showed that high BNP level was independently associated with severe stroke on admission (odds ratio 1.07, 95% confidence interval 1.00-1.15; p = 0.0478).
Conclusions: High BNP level compared with low BNP level was associated with severe stroke and major vessel occlusion, even before OAC treatment.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jns.2024.122935 | DOI Listing |
N Engl J Med
January 2025
From the TIMI Study Group, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (C.T.R., S.M.P., R.P.G., D.A.M., J.F.K., E.L.G., S.A.M., S.D.W., M.S.S.); Anthos Therapeutics, Cambridge, MA (B.H., S.P., D.B.); the Heart Rhythm Center, Taipei Veterans General Hospital and Cardiovascular Center, Taipei, Taiwan (S.-A.C.); Taichung Veterans Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan (S.-A.C.); National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan (S.-A.C.); National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan (S.-A.C.); St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto (S.G.G.); Canadian VIGOUR Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada (S.G.G.); the Division of Cardiology, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea (B.J.); the Department of Cardiology, Central Hospital of Northern Pest-Military Hospital, Budapest, Hungary (R.G.K.); the Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary (R.G.K.); the Internal Cardiology Department, St. Ann University Hospital and Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic (J.S.); the Department of Cardiology and Structural Heart Diseases, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland (W.W.); the Departments of Medicine and of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada (J.W.); and the Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research Institute, Hamilton, ON, Canada (J.W.).
Background: Abelacimab is a fully human monoclonal antibody that binds to the inactive form of factor XI and blocks its activation. The safety of abelacimab as compared with a direct oral anticoagulant in patients with atrial fibrillation is unknown.
Methods: Patients with atrial fibrillation and a moderate-to-high risk of stroke were randomly assigned, in a 1:1:1 ratio, to receive subcutaneous injection of abelacimab (150 mg or 90 mg once monthly) administered in a blinded fashion or oral rivaroxaban (20 mg once daily) administered in an open-label fashion.
PLoS One
January 2025
Pfizer Ltd., Tadworth, United Kingdom.
Background: Risk factors and comorbidities can complicate management of non-valvular atrial fibrillation. We describe and compare real-world safety and effectiveness of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs; apixaban, rivaroxaban, dabigatran) and vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) in subgroups of patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation at high risk for gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, utilizing data from a national quasi-exhaustive French database.
Methods: Anticoagulant-naïve adults with non-valvular atrial fibrillation with ≥1 gastrointestinal bleeding risk factor, initiating anticoagulant treatment January 2016-December 2019, and covered by the French national health data system were eligible.
Cureus
December 2024
Internal Medicine Department, Hospital Beatriz Ângelo, ULS Loures Odivelas, Loures, PRT.
Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is central to fibrinolysis regulation, and genetic variants such as the 4G/4G genotype predispose individuals to hypercoagulability. This case highlights a 46-year-old female patient presenting with acute mesenteric venous thrombosis, where genetic evaluation revealed homozygosity for the PAI-1 4G/4G polymorphism. Management with unfractionated heparin followed by a transition to direct oral anticoagulants led to clinical resolution.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCureus
January 2025
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Saitama Medical Center, Saitama Medical University, Saitama, JPN.
Objective More patients visit oral surgery outpatient clinics from evening to night to treat persistent gingival bleeding (PGB) related to periodontal disease (PD) (PD-PGB). Since there are few reports on PD-PGB, the present study performed a detailed characterisation of this disease. Materials and methods Patients who visited our oral surgery clinic between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2022 to treat PD-PGB without trauma.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Community Hosp Intern Med Perspect
November 2024
Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Queens, NY, USA.
Patients with pulmonary embolus (PE) can be stratified into low, intermediate, and high risk based on such factors as hemodynamics and the status of the right ventricle. Low risk patients who meet appropriate criteria can potentially be discharged home with oral anticoagulation, avoiding unnecessary hospitalization and associated complications and costs. However, limited data suggest early discharge of low-risk patients has not gained widespread traction.
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