Association Between Changes in Smoking Habits and Incident Fracture After Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Background: Survivors of stroke, particularly the older population, are at an increased risk of falls and incident fractures. Smoking is a widely recognized risk factor for fractures. However, the association between changes in smoking habits before and after an index stroke and increased risk of fracture remains unelucidated.

Statin Treatment in Patients With Stroke With Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Levels Below 70 mg/dL.

Background It is unclear whether statin treatment could reduce the risk of early vascular events when baseline low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels are already low, at <70 mg/dL, at the time of the index stroke. Methods and Results This study was an analysis of a prospective, multicenter, nationwide registry of consecutive patients with first-ever acute ischemic stroke with baseline low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels <70 mg/dL and without statin pretreatment. An inverse probabilities of treatment weights method was applied to control for imbalances in baseline characteristics.

Effect of Heart Rate on 1-Year Outcome for Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Background Previous literature about the effect of heart rate on poststroke outcomes is limited. We attempted to elucidate (1) whether heart rate during the acute period of ischemic stroke predicts subsequent major clinical events, (2) which heart rate parameter is best for prediction, and (3) what is the estimated heart rate cutoff point for the primary outcome. Methods and Results Eight thousand thirty-one patients with acute ischemic stroke who were hospitalized within 48 hours of onset were analyzed retrospectively.

One-Year Blood Pressure Trajectory After Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Background Although the effect of blood pressure on poststroke outcome is well recognized, the long-term trajectory of blood pressure after acute ischemic stroke and its influence on outcomes have not been studied well. Methods and Results We analyzed systolic blood pressure (SBP) measurements in 5514 patients with acute ischemic stroke at ≥2 of 7 prespecified time points during the first year after stroke among those enrolled in a multicenter prospective registry. Longitudinal SBPs were categorized using a group-based trajectory model.

Transesophageal Echocardiography in Ischemic Stroke With Atrial Fibrillation.

Background To clarify differences in clinical significance of intracardiac thrombi in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation-associated stroke as identified by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). Methods and Results Using patient data on nonvalvular atrial fibrillation-associated ischemic stroke between 2011 and 2014 from 15 South Korean stroke centers (n=4841) and 18 Japanese centers (n=1192), implementation rates of TEE/TTE, and detection rates of intracardiac thrombi at each center were correlated. The primary outcome was recurrent ischemic stroke at 1 year after the onset.

Effect of the Number of Neurointerventionalists on Off-Hour Endovascular Therapy for Acute Ischemic Stroke Within 12 Hours of Symptom Onset.

Background Off-hour presentation can affect treatment delay and clinical outcomes in endovascular therapy (EVT) for acute ischemic stroke. We aimed to examine the treatment delays and clinical outcomes of EVT between on- and off-hour admission and to evaluate the effect of hospital procedure volume and the number of neurointerventionalists on off-hour EVT. Methods and Results From a multicenter registry, we identified patients who were treated with EVT within 12 hours of symptom.

Hemispheric Asymmetry of White Matter Hyperintensity in Association With Lacunar Infarction.

Background White matter hyperintensities ( WMHs ) are commonly asymmetric between hemispheres but for unknown reasons. We investigated asymmetric WMHs associated with lacunar infarcts. Methods and Results A total of 267 consecutive patients with small first-ever supratentorial infarcts (≤20 mm) were included.