The high incidence of stroke recurrence necessitates effective post-stroke care. This study investigates the effectiveness of a case management-based post-stroke care program in patients with acute stroke and TIA. In this prospective cohort study, patients with TIA, ischemic stroke or intracerebral hemorrhage were enrolled into a 12-month case management-based program (SOS-Care) along with conventional care. Control patients received only conventional care. The program included home and phone consultations by case managers, focusing on education, medical and social needs and guideline-based secondary prevention. The primary outcome was the composite of stroke recurrence and vascular death after 12 months. Secondary outcomes included vascular risk factor control at 12 months. From 11/2011 to 12/2020, 1109 patients (17.9

Myasthenic crisis (MC) requiring mechanical ventilation is a serious complication of myasthenia gravis (MG). Here we analyze the frequency and risk factors of weaning- and extubation failure as well as its impact on the clinical course in a large cohort. We performed a retrospective chart review on patients treated for MC in 12 German neurological departments between 2006 and 2015. Weaning failure (WF) was defined as negative spontaneous breathing trial, primary tracheostomy, or extubation failure (EF) (reintubation or death). WF occurred in 138 episodes (64.2

BACKGROUND:Myasthenic crisis (MC) requiring mechanical ventilation (MV) is a rare and serious complication of myasthenia gravis. Here we analyzed the frequency of performed tracheostomies, risk factors correlating with a tracheostomy, as well as the impact of an early tracheostomy on ventilation time and ICU length of stay (LOS) in MC.METHODS:Retrospective chart review on patients treated for MC in 12 German neurological departments between 2006 and 2015 to assess demographic/diagnostic data, rates and timing of tracheostomy and outcome.RESULTS:In 107 out of 215 MC (49.8%), a tracheostomy was performed. Patients without tracheostomy were more likely to have an early-onset myasthenia gravis (27 [25.2%] vs 12 [11.5%], p = 0.01). Patients receiving a tracheostomy, however, were more frequently suffering from multiple comorbidities (20 [18.7%] vs 9 [8.3%], p = 0.03) and also the ventilation time (34.4 days ± 27.7 versus 7.9 ± 7.8, p < 0.0001) and ICU-LOS (34.8 days ± 25.5 versus 12.1 ± 8.0, p < 0.0001) was significantly longer than in non-tracheostomized patients. Demographics and characteristics of the course of the disease up to the crisis were not significantly different between patients with an early (within 10 days) compared to a late tracheostomy. However, an early tracheostomy correlated with a shorter duration of MV at ICU (26.2 days ± 18.1 versus 42.0 ± 33.1, p = 0.006), and ICU-LOS (26.2 days ± 14.6 versus 42.3 ± 33.0, p = 0.003).CONCLUSION:Half of the ventilated patients with MC required a tracheostomy. Poorer health condition before the crisis and late-onset MG were associated with a tracheostomy. An early tracheostomy (≤ day 10), however, was associated with a shorter duration of MV and ICU-LOS by 2 weeks.

Myasthenic crisis (MC) is a life-threatening condition for patients with myasthenia gravis (MG). Seronegative patients represent around 10–15% of MG, but data on outcome of seronegative MCs are lacking. We performed a subgroup analysis of patients who presented with MC with either acetylcholine-receptor-antibody-positive MG (AChR-MG) or seronegative MG between 2006 and 2015 in a retrospective German multicenter study. We identified 15 seronegative MG patients with 17 MCs and 142 AChR-MG with 159 MCs. Seronegative MCs were younger (54.3 ± 14.5 vs 66.5 ± 16.3 years; p = 0.0037), had a higher rate of thymus hyperplasia (29.4% vs 3.1%; p = 0.0009), and were more likely to be female (58.8% vs 37.7%; p = 0.12) compared to AChR-MCs. Time between diagnosis of MG and MC was significantly longer in seronegative patients (8.2 ± 7.6 vs 3.1 ± 4.4 years; p < 0.0001). We found no differences in duration of mechanical ventilation (16.2 ± 15.8 vs 16.5 ± 15.9 days; p = 0.94) and length of stay at intensive care unit (17.6 ± 15.2 vs 17.8 ± 15.4 days; p = 0.96), or in-hospital mortality (11.8% vs. 10.1%; p = 0.69). We conclude that MC in seronegative MG affects younger patients after a longer period of disease, but that crisis treatment efficacy and outcome do not differ compared to AChR-MCs.

Hypothermia may be neuroprotective in acute ischemic stroke. Patients with anterior circulation large vessel occlusion (acLVO) are frequently hypothermic after endovascular therapy (EVT). We sought to determine whether this inadvertent hypothermia is associated with improved outcome. We extracted data of consecutive patients (January 2016 to May 2019) who received EVT for acLVO from our prospective EVT register of all patients screened for EVT at our tertiary stroke center. We assessed functional outcome at 3 months and performed multivariate analysis to calculate adjusted risk ratios (aRRs) for favorable outcome (modified Rankin Scale scores = 0–2) and mortality across patients who were hypothermic (<36°C) and patients who were normothermic (≥36°C to <37.6°C) after EVT. Moreover, we compared the frequency of complications between these groups. Among 837 patients screened, 416 patients received EVT for acLVO and fulfilled inclusion criteria (200 [48.1%] male, mean age = 76 ± 16 years, median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score = 16, interquartile range [IQR] = 12–20). Of these, 209 patients (50.2%) were hypothermic (median temperature = 35.2°C, IQR = 34.7–35.7) and 207 patients were normothermic (median temperature = 36.4°C, IQR = 36.1–36.7) after EVT. In multivariate analysis, hypothermia was not associated with favorable outcome (aRR = 0.99, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.75–1.31) and mortality (aRR = 1.18, 95% CI = 0.84–1.66). More hypothermic patients suffered from pneumonia (36.4% vs. 25.6%, p  = 0.02) and bradyarrhythmia (52.6% vs. 16.4%, p  < 0.001), whereas thromboembolic events were distributed evenly (5.7% vs. 6.8%, not significant). Inadvertent hypothermia after EVT for acLVO is not associated with improved functional outcome or reduced mortality but is associated with an increased rate of pneumonia and bradyarrhythmia in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

See article on pages E7–E8 in this issue.

OBJECTIVE:Stroke patients are thought to be at increased risk of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). To evaluate yield of universal laboratory testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in acute stroke patients and its impact on hyperacute stroke care. METHODS:Between weeks 14 and 18 in 2020, a protected code stroke protocol including infection control screening and laboratory testing for SARS-CoV-2 was prospectively implemented for all code stroke patients upon arrival to the emergency department. If infection control screen was positive, patients received protective hygienic measures and laboratory test results were available within four hours from testing. In patients with negative screen, laboratory results were available no later than the next working day. Door-to-imaging times of patients treated with thrombolysis or thrombectomy were compared with those of patients treated during the preceding weeks 1 to 13 in 2020. RESULTS:During the 4-weeks study period, 116 consecutive code stroke patients underwent infection control screen and laboratory testing for SARS-CoV-2. Among 5 (4.3%) patients whose infection control screen was positive, no patient was tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. All patients with negative infection control screens had negative test results. Door-to-imaging times of patients treated with thrombolysis and/or thrombectomy were not different to those treated during the preceding weeks (12 [9-15] min versus 13 [11-17] min, p = 0.24). CONCLUSIONS:Universal laboratory testing for SARS-CoV-2 provided useful information on patients' infection status and its implementation into a protected code stroke protocol did not adversely affect hyperacute stroke care.

To determine whether a history of cerebrovascular disease (CVD) increases risk of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In a retrospective multicenter study, we retrieved individual data from in-patients treated March 1 to April 15, 2020 from COVID-19 registries of three hospitals in Saxony, Germany. We also performed a systematic review and meta-analysis following PRISMA recommendations using PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library databases and bibliographies of identified papers (last search on April 11, 2020) and pooled data with those deriving from our multicenter study. Of 3762 records identified, 11 eligible observational studies of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients were included in quantitative data synthesis. Risk ratios (RR) of severe COVID-19 according to history of CVD were pooled using DerSimonian and Laird random effects model. Between-study heterogeneity was assessed using Cochran’s Q and I2-statistics. Severity of COVID-19 according to definitions applied in included studies was the main outcome. Sensitivity analyses were conducted for clusters of studies with equal definitions of severity. Pooled analysis included data from 1906 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients (43.9% females, median age ranging from 39 to 76 years). Patients with previous CVD had higher risk of severe COVID-19 than those without [RR 2.07, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.52–2.81; p < 0.0001]. This association was also observed in clusters of studies that defined severe manifestation of the disease by clinical parameters (RR 1.44, 95% CI 1.22–1.71; p < 0.0001), necessity of intensive care (RR 2.79, 95% CI 1.83–4.24; p < 0.0001) and in-hospital death (RR 2.18, 95% CI 1.75–2.7; p < 0.0001). A history of CVD might constitute an important risk factor of unfavorable clinical course of COVID-19  suggesting a need of tailored infection prevention and clinical management strategies for this population at risk.

Introduction Recent exploratory analysis suggested comparable outcomes among stroke patients undergoing endovascular therapy (EVT) for anterior circulation large vessel occlusion, whether selected via the telestroke network or admitted directly to an EVT-capable centre. We further studied the role of telemedicine in selection of ischaemic stroke patients potentially eligible for EVT. Methods We prospectively included consecutive ischaemic stroke patients with anterior circulation large vessel occlusion who underwent EVT at our neurovascular centre (January 2016 to March 2018). We compared safety and efficacy including symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage (sICH), successful reperfusion (mTICI 2b/3), 90-day favourable outcome (mRS ≤ 2) and 90-day survival between patients transferred from telestroke hospitals and patients directly admitted. Results Of 280 potentially EVT-eligible patients, 72/129 (56%) telestroke and 91/151 (60%) direct admissions eventually underwent EVT (age 76 (66–82) years, median (interquartile range), 46% men, NIHSS score 17 (13–20)). Telestroke patients had larger pre-EVT infarct cores (ASPECTS: 7 (6–8) vs. 8 (7–9); p < 0.0001) and shorter door-to-groin puncture times (71 (56–84) vs. 101 (79–133) min; p < 0.0001) than directly admitted patients. sICH (2.8% vs. 1.1%; p = 0.58), successful reperfusion (81% vs. 77%; p = 0.56), 90-day favourable outcome (25% vs. 29%; p = 0.65) and 90-day survival (73% vs. 67%; p = 0.39) rates were comparable among telestroke and direct admissions. Discussion Our data underpins the important role of telemedicine in identifying acute ischaemic stroke patients lacking immediate access to EVT-capable stroke centres. Stroke patients selected via telemedicine and those directly admitted had comparable chances of favourable outcomes after EVT for large vessel occlusion.

Endovascular therapy (EVT) trials enrolled ischemic stroke patients with good pre-stroke functional status. However, this information needed for rapid decision-making is commonly lacking in clinical practice. We hypothesized that initial misjudgment of pre-stroke functional status attenuates clinical outcomes of EVT. Data were derived from our prospective registry of ischemic stroke patients undergoing EVT for anterior circulation large vessel occlusion (01/2016–12/2017). Considering all information accumulated during hospital course, pre-stroke modified Rankin scale (mRS) was independently re-assessed and compared with pre-EVT assessments. Misjudgment was defined as any difference in mRS categories between first- and second-look assessments. Multivariable model was built to adjust for confounding variables of unfavorable outcome (mRS 3–6) and death at 90 days. Overall, we studied 217 patients: median age 75 years (IQR 64–81), 54% women, median NIHSS 17 (12–20) points. Second-look assessment of pre-stroke mRS revealed 73 (34%) cases initially being misjudged by ≥ 1 category and 17 (8%) by ≥ 2 categories. None of the second-look mRS assessments resulted in a lower mRS category than initially rated. Patients whose pre-stroke mRS score was misjudged prior to EVT showed more frequently unfavorable outcome (62/73 [84.9%] vs. 94/144 [65.3%], p = 0.002) or were deceased (30/73 [41.1%] vs. 25/144 [17.4%], p < 0.001) at 90 days than patients with consistent mRS assessments. Moreover, unfavorable outcomes occurred in nearly all patients whose initial mRS was misjudged by ≥ 2 categories (mRS 3–6: 17/17 [100%]; death: 14/17 [82.4%]; p < 0.001). In conclusion, thorough pre-EVT assessment of pre-stroke functional status appears decisive for proper selection of EVT candidates.

Introduction: Uncontrolled arterial hypertension increases the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients treated with intravenous tPA and may lead to hematoma progression in patients with primary ICH. While arterial blood pressure (aBP) is commonly monitored using intermittent oscillometric measurements, vascular unloading based assessment (VUA) allows noninvasive continuous (beat-to-beat) aBP monitoring with a finger cuff. We hypothesized that VUA monitoring is feasible in post thrombolysis and ICH care and shows diagnostic agreement with intermittent oscillometric assessment. Methods: Consecutive patients with either AIS receiving intravenous tPA or ICH were prospectively monitored for 24 hours following the index event using VUA monitoring and contralateral oscillometric aBP measurement every 30 minutes. Bland Altman Plot and linear regression were conducted to define diagnostic agreement. Results: We enrolled 24 AIS patients (10 males, aged 74±15 years, mean±standard deviation) receiving tPA and 24 ICH patients (16 males, aged 67±16 years). Mean systolic aBP assessed via VUA was higher and mean diastolic aBP was lower compared to oscillometric assessment in the entire population (systolic: 147 ± 23 mmHg vs. 144 ± 34, p=0.004; diastolic: 75 ± 14 mmHg vs. 77 ± 20 mmHg vs, p=0.004) There was a positive association between VUA and oscillometric aBP profiles (systolic aBP: coef. 0.24, p<0.005; diastolic aBP: coef. 0.31, p<0.005; figure). However, diagnostic agreement analysis was inconclusive. (Bland Altman Plot) Conclusions: Although VUA and oscillometric aBP profiles were positively associated in our study, diagnostic agreement between the techniques was not sufficient to recommend implementation of VUA in clinical practice. Figure

Aims Interventional PFO closure has previously been reported to reduce the risk for recurrent thromboembolic events. The aim of the present study was to evaluate three different occluder systems in respect to (a) the safety and practicability and (b) the mid-term risk of recurrent thromboembolic events.Methods and results Since 08/98 until 12/02, 307 consecutive patients (138 women, 169 men, mean age 43 years) with a symptomatic PFO underwent PFO closure using the PFO-Star (n = 177), Amplatzer(TM) PFO occluder (n = 69) and CardioSeal/Starflex (n = 61). Implantation was successful in all patients. Periinterventional complications occurred in 9 patients (5 x ST-segment elevations, 1 x arteriovenous fistula, 2 x TIA, 1 x device dislodgement). All. of them were reversible and not associated with a specific type of device. During the median follow-up of 24 months (25/75th percentiles: 14/37 months), the annual risk of recurrence was 0.6% for TIA, 0% for stroke and 0.2% for peripheral embolism (PFO-Star: 0.8%, Amptatzer(TM) PFO occluder: 0.7% and CardioSeal/Starflex: 1.0%).Conclusion Interventional PFO closure appears to be safe and a promising technique in symptomatic PFO patients with a low incidence of periinterventional complications and recurrent thromboembolic events using three different devices (PFO-Star, Amptatzer(TM) PFO occluder or the CardioSeal/Starflex). (C) 2004 The European Society of Cardiology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.