0000000000371380
AUTHOR
Katrin Wasser
Abstract 124: How to Preselect Stroke Patients for Enhanced ECG-Monitoring - Evaluation of Predictors of Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation in "Find-AFrandomised"
Background: Detecting concealed paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (pAF) is a major focus of the workup of ischemic-stroke-patients, but requires elaborate ECG-monitoring. We aimed to evaluate pre-specified predictors to determine stroke patients with an increased probability of underlying pAF. We applied cut-off-levels recently suggested by the German Stroke Society 1 . Methods: The Find-AF RANDOMISED -trial (NCT01855035) evaluated 3x10-day Holter-ECG vs. standard-care in 398 patients > 60 years with acute ischemic strokes. The primary endpoint was novel pAF after 6 months. 27 patients in the intervention arm (13.5 %) and 9 patients in the control arm (9.0 %) met the primary endpoint (p=0.…
Clinical predictors to identify paroxysmal atrial fibrillation after ischaemic stroke.
Background and purpose Detection of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (pAF) after an ischaemic cerebrovascular event is of imminent interest, because oral anticoagulation as a highly effective secondary preventive treatment is available. Whereas permanent atrial fibrillation (AF) can be detected during routine electrocardiogram (ECG), longer detection duration will detect more pAF but might be resource consuming. The current study tried to identify clinical predictors for pAF detected during long-term Holter ECG and clinical follow-up. Methods Patients with acute ischaemic stroke were prospectively investigated with an intensified algorithm to detect pAF (7-day Holter ECG, follow-up investigat…
Health-related quality of life, anxiety and depression up to 12 months post-stroke: Influence of sex, age, stroke severity and atrial fibrillation - A longitudinal subanalysis of the Find-AF
Abstract Background Stroke can negatively impact the health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Anxiety or depression after stroke have been associated with poorer HRQoL, higher mortality and greater dependence in activities of daily living. We aimed to analyze HRQoL, anxiety and depressive symptoms in patients with and without atrial fibrillation (AF) up to 12 months post-stroke. Methods Find-AFRANDOMISED was a prospective, randomized multicenter study, which included 398 patients ≥60 years with acute cerebral ischemia. HRQoL data were collected using the 3-level EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D-3L) and Stroke Impact Scale (SIS-16). Anxiety and depressive symptoms were measured using the Hospital Anxiety an…
High-sensitivity troponin assay improves prediction of cardiovascular risk in patients with cerebral ischaemia
Background and purpose Clinical scores are recommended for predicting cardiovascular risk in patients with cerebral ischaemia to inform secondary prevention. Blood biomarkers may improve prediction beyond clinical scores. Methods Within the observational Find-AF trial (ISRCTN46104198), 197 patients >18 years of age with cerebral ischaemia and without atrial fibrillation had blood sampled at baseline. The predictive value of five biomarkers for a combined vascular endpoint (acute coronary syndrome, stroke, cardiovascular death) and all-cause mortality was determined, alone and in addition to the Essen Stroke Risk Score (ESRS), Stroke Prognostic Instrument 2 (SPI-2) and National Institutes of…
Brain Natriuretic Peptide and Discovery of Atrial Fibrillation After Stroke
Background and Purpose— Diagnosing paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (pAF) can be challenging after acute ischemic stroke. Enhanced and prolonged Holter-ECG monitoring (EPM) improves the detection rate but is not feasible for all patients. We hypothesized that brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) may help to identify patients with stroke at high risk for pAF to select patients for EPM more effectively. Methods— Patients with acute cerebral ischemia ≥60 years presenting in sinus rhythm and without history of AF were included into a prospective, randomized multicenter study to receive either EPM (3× 10-day Holter-ECG) or usual stroke care diagnostic work-up. BNP plasma levels were measured on random…
NfL (Neurofilament Light Chain) Levels as a Predictive Marker for Long-Term Outcome After Ischemic Stroke
Background and Purpose— Ischemic stroke causes major disability as a consequence of neuronal loss and recurrent ischemic events. Biomarkers predicting tissue damage or stroke recurrence might be useful to guide an individualized stroke therapy. NfL (neurofilament light chain) is a promising biomarker that might be used for this purpose. Methods— We used individual data of patients with an acute ischemic stroke and clinical long term follow-up. Serum NfL (sNfL) was quantified within 24 hours after admission and after 1 year and compared with other biomarkers (GDF15 [growth differentiation factor 15], S100, NT-proBNP [N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide], ANP [atrial natriuretic peptid…
Predictors of carotid artery in-stent restenosis
SummaryBackgroundCarotid angioplasty and stenting (CAS) is increasingly being used as a treatment alternative to endarterectomy (CEA), especially in patients aged <70 years with significant carotid artery stenosis. However, an in-stent restenosis (ISR) might endangering the long-term efficacy of CAS. The aim of this article was to review the current literature regarding incidence and clinical significance as well as predictors of in-stent restenosis.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review of the literature to identify all studies on the abovementioned factors.Results3 randomized-controlled trials comparing CAS and CEA and 13 single centre studies fulfilled our inclusion criteria. The occurr…
Software-based analysis of 1-hour Holter ECG to select for prolonged ECG monitoring after stroke.
Abstract Objective Identification of ischemic stroke patients at high risk for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (pAF) during 72 hours Holter ECG might be useful to individualize the allocation of prolonged ECG monitoring times, currently not routinely applied in clinical practice. Methods In a prospective multicenter study, the first analysable hour of raw ECG data from prolonged 72 hours Holter ECG monitoring in 1031 patients with acute ischemic stroke/TIA presenting in sinus rhythm was classified by an automated software (AA) into “no risk of AF” or “risk of AF” and compared to clinical variables to predict AF during 72 hours Holter‐ECG. Results pAF was diagnosed in 54 patients (5.2%; mean …
Relevance of supraventricular runs detected after cerebral ischemia
Objective:Prolonged ECG monitoring after stroke frequently reveals short paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (pAF) and supraventricular (SV) runs. The minimal duration of atrial fibrillation (AF) required to induce cardioembolism, the relevance of SV runs, and whether short pAF results from cerebral damage itself are currently being debated. We aimed to study the relevance of SV runs and short pAF detected by prolonged Holter ECG after cerebral ischemia during long-term follow-up.Methods:Analysis is from the prospective Find-AF trial (ISRCTN46104198). We included patients with acute cerebral ischemia. Those without AF on admission received 7-day Holter ECG monitoring. We differentiated patients …