Project description:Although intravenous thrombolysis increases the probability of a good functional outcome in carefully selected patients with acute ischemic stroke, a substantial proportion of patients who receive thrombolysis do not have a good outcome. Several recent trials of mechanical thrombectomy appear to indicate that this treatment may be superior to thrombolysis. We therefore conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and safety of new-generation mechanical thrombectomy devices with intravenous thrombolysis (if eligible) compared with intravenous thrombolysis (if eligible) in patients with acute ischemic stroke caused by a proximal intracranial occlusion. We systematically searched seven databases for randomized controlled trials published between January 2005 and March 2015 comparing stent retrievers or thromboaspiration devices with best medical therapy (with or without intravenous thrombolysis) in adults with acute ischemic stroke. We assessed risk of bias and overall quality of the included trials. We combined the data using a fixed or random effects meta-analysis, where appropriate. We identified 1579 studies; of these, we evaluated 122 full-text papers and included five randomized control trials (n=1287). Compared with patients treated medically, patients who received mechanical thrombectomy were more likely to be functionally independent as measured by a modified Rankin score of 0-2 (odds ratio, 2.39; 95% confidence interval, 1.88-3.04; I2=0%). This finding was robust to subgroup analysis. Mortality and symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage were not significantly different between the two groups. Mechanical thrombectomy significantly improves functional independence in appropriately selected patients with acute ischemic stroke.
Project description:Background Eosinophils contribute to antibacterial defense by releasing mitochondrial DNA, which are decreased in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). However, the impact of eosinophils on stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP) among patients with AIS remains unclear. Moreover, whether SAP is in the path of the association between eosinophils and clinical outcomes also remains unclear. We aimed to assess the relationships between eosinophils, SAP, and clinical outcome after mechanical thrombectomy in patients with AIS. Methods A total of 328 consecutive patients with AIS who underwent mechanical thrombectomy between May 2017 and March 2021 were analyzed. Their baseline data and peripheral eosinophil counts were recorded on admission. Regression analysis was used to assess the effect of eosinophils on SAP, and its effect on poor outcome is defined as a modified Rankin Scale score of 3–6 at month 3 after admission. Mediation analysis was utilized to assess the proportion of the total effect of SAP on the association between eosinophils and poor outcomes. Results Multivariate analysis revealed that eosinophils was independently associated with SAP after adjusting for potential confounders (odds ratio, 0.00; 95% CI, 0.00–0.38; P = 0.0267), which are consistent with the result of eosinophils (dichotomous) as a categorical variable (odds ratio, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.31–0.96; P = 0.0342). A non-linear relationship was detected between eosinophils and SAP, whose inflection point was 0.06. Subgroup analyses further confirmed these associations. Eosinophils were also associated with poor outcomes (odds ratio, 0.00; 95% CI, 0.00–0.14; P = 0.0124). Additionally, mediation analysis found that SAP partially mediated the negative relationship between eosinophils and poor outcome (indirect effect = −0.169; 95% CI:−0.339 –−0.040, P < 0.001). Conclusion Our findings suggested that a lower eosinophil level was associated with higher SAP and poorer outcome, and SAP might play an important effect in the association between eosinophils and poor outcomes.
Project description:BackgroundThe modified Rankin Scale (mRS) is a clinician-reported scale that measures the degree of disability in patients who suffered a stroke. Patients' perception of a meaningful recovery from severe stroke, expected value of a stroke intervention, and the effect of disparities are largely unknown.MethodsWe conducted a survey of patients, their family members, and accompanying visitors to understand their personal preferences and expectations for acute strokes potentially eligible for acute endovascular intervention using a hypothetical scenario of a severe stroke in a standardized questionnaire.ResultsOf 164 survey respondents, 65 (39.6%) were the patient involved, 93 (56.7%) were a family member, and six (3.7%) were accompanied visitors (friends, other). Minimally acceptable disability after a stroke intervention was considered as mRS 2 by 42 respondents (25.6%), as mRS 3 by 79 (48.2%), and as mRS 4 by 43 (26.2%) respondents. Race was associated with different views on this question (p < 0.001; Hispanic and Black patients being more likely to accept disability than Caucasian and Asian patients), while sex (p = 0.333) and age (p = 0.560) were not. Sixty-three respondents (38.4%) viewed minimally acceptable probability of improvement with an intervention as over 50%, 57 (34.8%) as 10-50%, and 44 (26.8%) as less than 10%.ConclusionsA wide range of acceptable outcomes were reported regardless of gender or age. However, race was associated with different acceptable outcome. This is an important finding to demonstrate because of the persistent racial and ethnic disparities in the utilization of endovascular therapy for acute stroke in the United States.
Project description:PurposeIntravenous thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy (MT) are standard of care in patients with acute ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion. Data on MT in patients with intracranial hemorrhage prior to intervention is limited to anecdotal reports, as these patients were excluded from thrombectomy trials.MethodsWe analyzed patients from an observational multicenter cohort with acute ischemic stroke and endovascular treatment, the German Stroke Registry-Endovascular Treatment trial, with intracranial hemorrhage before MT. Baseline characteristics, procedural parameters and functional outcome at 90 days were analyzed and compared to a propensity score matched cohort.ResultsOut of 6635 patients, we identified 32 patients (0.5%) with acute ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion and preinterventional intracranial hemorrhage who underwent MT. Risk factors of intracranial hemorrhage were head trauma, oral anticoagulation and intravenous thrombolysis. Overall mortality was high (50%) but among patients with a premorbid modified Rankin scale (mRS) of 0-2 (n = 15), good clinical outcome (mRS 0-2) at 90 days was achieved in 40% of patients. Periprocedural and outcome results did not differ between patients with and without preinterventional intracranial hemorrhage.ConclusionPreinterventional intracranial hemorrhage in acute ischemic stroke patients with large vessel occlusion is rare. The use of MT is technically feasible and a substantial number of patients achieve good clinical outcome, indicating that MT should not be withheld in patients with preinterventional intracranial hemorrhage.
Project description:Background Whether intravenous thrombolysis before mechanical thrombectomy provides additional benefit for functional outcome in acute ischemic stroke remains uncertain. We performed a meta-analysis to compare the outcomes of direct mechanical thrombectomy (dMT) to mechanical thrombectomy with bridging using intravenous thrombolysis (bridging therapy [BT]) in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods and Results We performed a literature search in the PubMed, Excerpta Medica database, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from January 1, 2003, to April 26, 2021. We included randomized clinical trials and observational studies that reported the 90-day functional outcome in patients with acute ischemic stroke undergoing dMT compared with BT. The 12 included studies (3 randomized controlled trials and 9 observational studies) yielded 3924 participants (mean age, 68.0 years [SD, 13.1 years]; women, 44.2%; 1887 participants who received dMT and 2037 participants who received BT). A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trial and observational data revealed similar 90-day functional independence (odds ratio [OR], 1.04; 95% CI, 0.90-1.19), mortality (OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.78-1.36), and successful recanalization (OR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.76-1.14) for patients treated with dMT or BT. Compared with those in the BT group, patients in the dMT group were less likely to experience symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (OR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.51-0.91; P=0.008) or any intracranial hemorrhage (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.61-0.84; P<0.001). Conclusions In this meta-analysis of patients with acute ischemic stroke, we found no significant differences in 90-day functional outcome or mortality between dMT and BT, but a lower rate of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage for dMT. These findings support the use of dMT without intravenous thrombolysis bridging therapy. Registration URL: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/; Unique identifier: 42021234664.
Project description:IntroductionMechanical thrombectomy (MT) for acute ischemic stroke has become a standard therapy, and the recanalization rate has significantly improved. However, some cases of unsuccessful recanalization still occur. We aimed to clarify patient factors associated with unsuccessful recanalization after MT for acute ischemic stroke.MethodsThis was a single-center, retrospective study of 119 consecutive patients with anterior circulation acute ischemic stroke who underwent MT at our hospital between April 2015 and March 2019. Successful recanalization after MT was defined as modified Treatment in Cerebral Ischemia (mTICI) grade 2b or 3, and unsuccessful recanalization was defined as mTICI grades 0-2a. Several factors were analyzed to assess their effect on recanalization rates.ResultsSuccessful recanalization was achieved in 88 patients (73.9%). The univariate analysis showed that female sex (38.6 vs. 67.7%, p = 0.007), a history of hypertension (53.4 vs. 83.9%, p = 0.003), and a longer time from groin puncture to recanalization (median 75 vs. 124 min, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with unsuccessful recanalization. The multivariate analysis confirmed that female sex (OR 3.18; 95% CI 1.12-9.02, p = 0.030), a history of hypertension (OR 4.84; 95% CI 1.32-17.8, p = 0.018), M2-3 occlusion (OR 4.26; 95% CI 1.36-13.3, p = 0.013), and the time from groin puncture to recanalization (per 10-min increase, OR 1.22; 95% CI 1.09-1.37, p < 0.001) were independently associated with unsuccessful recanalization.ConclusionFemale sex and a history of hypertension might be predictors of unsuccessful recanalization after MT for anterior circulation acute ischemic stroke. Further studies are needed to fully evaluate predictors of recanalization.
Project description:Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for large vessel acute ischemic stroke (AIS) has enabled biologic analyses of resected clots. While clot histology has been well-studied, little is known about gene expression within the tissue, which could shed light on stroke pathophysiology. In this methodological study, we develop a pipeline for obtaining useful RNA from AIS clots. A total of 73 clot samples retrieved by MT were collected and stored in RNALater and in 10% phosphate-buffered formalin. RNA was extracted from all samples using a modified Chemagen magnetic bead extraction protocol on the PerkinElmer Chemagic 360. RNA was interrogated by UV-Vis absorption and electrophoretic quality control analysis. All samples with sufficient volume underwent traditional qPCR analysis and samples with sufficient RNA quality were subjected to next-generation RNA sequencing on the Illumina NovaSeq platform. Whole blood RNA samples from three patients were used as controls, and H&E-stained histological sections of the clots were used to assess clot cellular makeup. Isolated mRNA was eluted into a volume of 140 µL and had a concentration ranging from 0.01 ng/µL to 46 ng/µL. Most mRNA samples were partially degraded, with RNA integrity numbers ranging from 0 to 9.5. The majority of samples (71/73) underwent qPCR analysis, which showed linear relationships between the expression of three housekeeping genes (GAPDH, GPI, and HPRT1) across all samples. Of these, 48 samples were used for RNA sequencing, which had moderate quality based on MultiQC evaluation (on average, ~35 M reads were sequenced). Analysis of clot histology showed that more acellular samples yielded RNA of lower quantity and quality. We obtained useful mRNA from AIS clot samples stored in RNALater. qPCR analysis could be performed in almost all cases, while sequencing data could only be performed in approximately two-thirds of the samples. Acellular clots tended to have lower RNA quantity and quality.
Project description:BackgroundThe beneficial effects of endovascular treatment with new-generation mechanical thrombectomy devices compared with intravenous thrombolysis alone to treat acute large-artery ischemic stroke have been shown in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). This study aimed to estimate the cost utility of mechanical thrombectomy compared with the established standard of care.MethodsWe developed a Markov decision process analytic model to assess the cost-effectiveness of treatment with mechanical thrombectomy plus intravenous thrombolysis versus treatment with intravenous thrombolysis alone from the public payer perspective in Canada. We conducted comprehensive literature searches to populate model inputs. We estimated the efficacy of mechanical thrombectomy plus intravenous thrombolysis from a meta-analysis of 5 RCTs, and we used data from the Oxford Vascular Study to model long-term clinical outcomes. We calculated incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER) using a 5-year time horizon.ResultsThe base case analysis showed the cost and effectiveness of treatment with mechanical thrombectomy plus intravenous thrombolysis to be $126 939 and 1.484 quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), respectively, and the cost and effectiveness of treatment with intravenous thrombolysis alone to be $124 419 and 1.273 QALYs, respectively. The mechanical thrombectomy plus intravenous thrombolysis strategy was associated with an ICER of $11 990 per QALY gained. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis showed that the probability of treatment with mechanical thrombectomy plus intravenous thrombolysis being cost-effective was 57.5%, 89.7% and 99.6% at thresholds of $20 000, $50 000 and $100 000 per QALY gained, respectively. The main factors influencing the ICER were time horizon, extra cost of mechanical thrombectomy treatment and age of the patient.InterpretationMechanical thrombectomy as an adjunct therapy to intravenous thrombolysis is cost-effective compared with treatment with intravenous thrombolysis alone for patients with acute large-artery ischemic stroke.
Project description:Background and objectiveAutomated machine learning or autoML has been widely deployed in various industries. However, their adoption in healthcare, especially in clinical settings is constrained due to a lack of clear understanding and explainability. The aim of this study is to utilize autoML for the prediction of functional outcomes in patients who underwent mechanical thrombectomy and compare it with traditional ML models with a focus on the explainability of the trained models.MethodsA total of 156 patients of acute ischemic stroke with Large Vessel Occlusion (LVO) who underwent mechanical thrombectomy within 24 h of stroke onset were included in the study. A total of 34 treatment variables including clinical, demographic, imaging, and procedure-related data were extracted. Various conventional machine learning models such as decision tree classifier, logistic regression, random forest, kNN, and SVM as well as various autoML models such as AutoGluon, MLJAR, Auto-Sklearn, TPOT, and H2O were used to predict the modified Rankin score (mRS) at the time of patient discharge and 3 months follow-up. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and AUC for traditional ML and autoML models were compared.ResultsThe autoML models outperformed the traditional ML models. For the prediction of mRS at discharge, the highest testing accuracy obtained by traditional ML models for the decision tree classifier was 74.11%, whereas for autoML which was obtained through AutoGluon, it showed an accuracy of 88.23%. Similarly, for mRS at 3 months, the highest testing accuracy of traditional ML was that of the SVM classifier at 76.5%, whereas that of autoML was 85.18% obtained through MLJAR. The 24-h ASPECTS score was the most important predictor for mRS at discharge whereas for prediction of mRS at 3 months, the most important factor was mRS at discharge.ConclusionAutomated machine learning models based on multiple treatment variables can predict the functional outcome in patients more accurately than traditional ML models. The ease of clinical coding and deployment can assist clinicians in the critical decision-making process. We have developed a demo application which can be accessed at https://mrs-score-calculator.onrender.com/.