Summary The world faces an epidemic of atrial fibrillation and atrial fibrillation-related stroke. An individual's risk of atrial fibrillation-related stroke can be estimated with the CHADS2 or CHA2 ...DS2 VASc scores, and reduced by two-thirds with effective anticoagulation. Vitamin K antagonists, such as warfarin, are underused and often poorly managed. The direct thrombin inhibitor dabigatran etexilate and factor Xa inhibitors rivaroxaban and apixaban are new oral anticoagulants that are at least as efficacious and safe as warfarin. Their advantages are predictable anticoagulant effects, low propensity for drug interactions, and lower rates of intracranial haemorrhage than with warfarin. A disadvantage is the continuing need to develop and validate rapidly effective antidotes for major bleeding and standardised tests that accurately measure plasma concentrations and anticoagulant effects, together with the disadvantage of possible higher rates of gastrointestinal haemorrhage and greater expense than with warfarin. The new oral anticoagulants should increase the number of patients with atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke who are optimally anticoagulated, and reduce the burden of atrial fibrillation-related stroke.
OBJECTIVESTo compare the risk of stroke and systemic embolism (SE) among patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) who abandoned their first direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) fill ...("abandoners") relative to patients who continued DOACs beyond the first fill ("continuers"). METHODSIn this retrospective longitudinal study, adults with NVAF prescribed DOACs were selected from Symphony Health, an ICON plc Company, PatientSource, 1 April 2017 to 31 October 2020. A 90-day landmark period following the first DOAC fill was used to classify patients as abandoners or continuers. Inverse probability of treatment weighting was used to balance baseline characteristics between cohorts. Time to ischemic stroke/SE was described and compared between cohorts using weighted Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazard models from the end of the landmark period until end of clinical activity or data. RESULTSAfter weighting, 200,398 and 211,352 patients comprised the abandoner and continuer cohorts, respectively. The mean duration of follow-up was 14.9 and 15.7 months, respectively. At 12 months of follow-up, the probability of ischemic stroke/SE was 1.34% in the abandoner cohort and 1.00% in the continuer cohort; the risk of ischemic stroke/SE was 35% higher in the abandoner versus continuer cohort (hazard ratio 95% confidence interval = 1.35 1.20, 1.51; p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONSPatients with NVAF who abandoned the first DOAC fill had significantly higher risk of ischemic stroke/SE compared to patients who continued therapy beyond the first fill. There is an unmet need for better access to DOACs so that the long-term risk of poor outcomes may be minimized.
Background
Current evidence suggests that rivaroxaban may be well tolerated and effective in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) and obesity; however, there is limited evidence on ...the impact of polypharmacy in this population. This study evaluated real-world clinical outcomes with rivaroxaban versus warfarin in patients with NVAF and obesity according to the number of concurrent medications.
Methods
This retrospective cohort study identified patients with one or more pharmacy claim for rivaroxaban or warfarin from two large claims databases. Patients were required to have an atrial fibrillation diagnosis, body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m
2
and the presence of polypharmacy (1–4, 5–9, or ≥ 10 concurrent medications). Outcomes of stroke, systemic embolism, and major bleeding were compared between the rivaroxaban and warfarin cohorts after propensity score matching (PSM).
Results
A total of 95,875 patients were identified with one or more claim for either rivaroxaban or warfarin. After PSM, patient characteristics were balanced between cohorts (
n
= 21,547 in each cohort). The overall composite risk of stroke and systemic embolism was significantly lower in the rivaroxaban cohort compared with the warfarin cohort (hazard ratio HR 0.77, 95% confidence interval CI 0.70–0.84;
p
< 0.001). The risks of ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, and systemic embolism separately were also significantly reduced with rivaroxaban. Major bleeding risk was similar between cohorts (HR 0.93, 95% CI 0.81–1.06;
p
= 0.2842), and results were consistent across the three polypharmacy groups.
Conclusions
In this real-world study of NVAF patients with obesity, rivaroxaban was associated with lower risks of stroke and systemic embolism and similar risk of major bleeding versus warfarin across polypharmacy categories.
Pulmonary arteriovenous fistulas (PAVFs) are a treatable cause of acute ischemic stroke (AIS), not mentioned in current American Heart/Stroke Association guidelines. PAVFs are recognized as an ...important complication of hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.
The prevalence of PAVF and hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia among patients admitted with AIS in the United States (2005-2014) was retrospectively studied, utilizing the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database. Clinical factors, morbidity, mortality, and management were compared in AIS patients with and without PAVF/hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.
Of 4 271 910 patients admitted with AIS, 822 (0.02%) were diagnosed with PAVF. Among them, 106 of 822 (12.9%) were diagnosed with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia. The prevalence of PAVF per million AIS admissions rose from 197 in 2005 to 368 in 2014 (
, 0.026). Patients with PAVF were younger than AIS patients without PAVF (median age, 57.5 versus 72.5 years), had lower age-adjusted inpatient morbidity (defined as any discharge other than home; 39.6% versus 46.9%), and had lower in-hospital case fatality rates (1.8% versus 5.1%). Multivariate analyses identified the following as independent risk markers (odds ratio 95% CI) for AIS in patients with PAVF: hypoxemia (8.4 6.3-11.2), pulmonary hemorrhage (7.9 4.1-15.1), pulmonary hypertension (4.3 4.1-15.1), patent foramen ovale (4.2 3.5-5.1), epistaxis (3.7 2.1-6.8), venous thrombosis (2.6 1.9-3.6), and iron deficiency anemia (2 1.5-2.7). Patients with and without PAVF received intravenous thrombolytics at a similar rate (5.9% versus 5.8%), but those with PAVF did not receive mechanical thrombectomy (0% versus 0.7%).
Pulmonary arteriovenous fistula-related ischemic stroke represents an important younger demographic with a unique set of stroke risk markers, including treatable conditions such as causal PAVFs and iron deficiency anemia.
This scientific statement is intended for use by physicians and allied health personnel caring for patients with transient ischemic attacks. Formal evidence review included a structured literature ...search of Medline from 1990 to June 2007 and data synthesis employing evidence tables, meta-analyses, and pooled analysis of individual patient-level data. The review supported endorsement of the following, tissue-based definition of transient ischemic attack (TIA): a transient episode of neurological dysfunction caused by focal brain, spinal cord, or retinal ischemia, without acute infarction. Patients with TIAs are at high risk of early stroke, and their risk may be stratified by clinical scale, vessel imaging, and diffusion magnetic resonance imaging. Diagnostic recommendations include: TIA patients should undergo neuroimaging evaluation within 24 hours of symptom onset, preferably with magnetic resonance imaging, including diffusion sequences; noninvasive imaging of the cervical vessels should be performed and noninvasive imaging of intracranial vessels is reasonable; electrocardiography should occur as soon as possible after TIA and prolonged cardiac monitoring and echocardiography are reasonable in patients in whom the vascular etiology is not yet identified; routine blood tests are reasonable; and it is reasonable to hospitalize patients with TIA if they present within 72 hours and have an ABCD(2) score >or=3, indicating high risk of early recurrence, or the evaluation cannot be rapidly completed on an outpatient basis.
This scientific statement describes a path to optimizing care for patients who experience an in-hospital stroke. Although these patients are in a monitored environment, their evaluation and treatment ...are often delayed compared with patients presenting to the emergency department, contributing to higher rates of morbidity and mortality. Reducing delays and optimizing treatment for patients with in-hospital stroke could improve outcomes. This scientific statement calls for the development of hospital systems of care and targeted quality improvement for in-hospital stroke. We propose 5 core elements to optimize in-hospital stroke care: 1. Deliver stroke training to all hospital staff, including how to activate in-hospital stroke alerts. 2. Create rapid response teams with dedicated stroke training and immediate access to neurological expertise. 3. Standardize the evaluation of patients with potential in-hospital stroke with physical assessment and imaging. 4. Address barriers to treatment potentially, including interfacility transfer to advanced stroke treatment. 5. Establish an in-hospital stroke quality oversight program delivering data-driven performance feedback and driving targeted quality improvement efforts. Additional research is needed to better understand how to reduce the incidence, morbidity, and mortality of in-hospital stroke.
Stroke centers are critical for the timely diagnosis and treatment of acute stroke and have been associated with improved treatment and outcomes; however, variability exists in the definitions and ...processes used to certify and designate these centers. Our study categorizes state stroke center certification and designation processes and provides examples of state processes across the United States, specifically in states with independent designation processes that do not rely on national certification.
In this cross-sectional study from September 2022 to April 2023, we used peer-reviewed literature, primary source documents from states, and communication with state officials in all 50 states to capture each state's process for stroke center certification and designation. We categorized this information and outlined examples of processes in each category.
Our cross-sectional study of state-level stroke center certification and designation processes across states reveals significant heterogeneity in the terminology used to describe state processes and the processes themselves. We identify 3 main categories of state processes: No State Certification or Designation Process (category A; n=12), State Designation Reliant on National Certification Only (category B; n=24), and State Has Option for Self-Certification or Independent Designation (category C; n=14). Furthermore, we describe 3 subcategories of self-certification or independent state designation processes: State Relies on Self-Certification or Independent Designation for Acute Stroke Ready Hospital or Equivalent (category C1; n=3), State Has Hybrid Model for Acute Stroke Ready Hospital or Equivalent (category C2; n=5), and State Has Hybrid Model for Primary Stroke Center and Above (category C3; n=6).
Our study found significant heterogeneity in state-level processes. A better understanding of how these differences may impact the rigor of each process and clinical performance of stroke centers is worthy of further investigation.
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