Stress hyperglycemia increases short-term mortality in acute ischemic stroke patients after mechanical thrombectomy

Background and purpose Glucose-to-glycated hemoglobin ratio (GAR) is considered a more reliable marker of stress hyperglycemia by correcting for basal blood glucose levels. This study aimed to investigate the extent to which GAR is associated with 3 month and 1 year all-cause mortalities in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) undergoing mechanical thrombectomy (MT). Methods We retrospectively followed 553 AIS patients who underwent MT. The degree of stress hyperglycemia was quantified as the GAR, defined as fasting plasma glucose (mmol/L)/hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (%) on the second day after admission. According to the GAR quartiles, the patients were further categorized into four groups (group 1-group 4). We assessed the association between GAR and all-cause mortalities, clinical outcomes during hospitalization and function outcomes at 3 months. The associations between stress hyperglycemia and all-cause mortalities were analyzed using a Cox proportional-hazards model, while other outcomes were analyzed using multiple logistic regression analysis. Results The follow-up lasted a median of 18 months (range 0–66 months). The 3 month mortality rate was 9.58% (n = 53) and the 1 year mortality rate was 18.62% (n = 103). The Kaplan–Meier analysis revealed a significant inverse relationship between GAR and mortality ( P < 0.001). In the Cox proportional-hazards model at 3 months, compared with group1, group 4 of GAR was associated with a significant increase in the risk of 3 month mortality (hazard ratio [HR] = 4.11, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.41–12.0, P = 0.01) after adjusting for potential covariates. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, GAR was strongly associated with an increased risk of 3 month poor function outcome. Conclusions Stress hyperglycemia, quantified by a higher GAR, is associated with all-cause mortality and poor functional outcomes in patients with AIS who undergo MT. Furthermore, GAR may contribute to improving the predictive efficiency of all-cause mortality in patients with AIS after MT, especially short-term all-cause mortality.