Impact of SARS-CoV-2 on reperfusion therapies for acute ischemic stroke in Lombardy, Italy: the STROKOVID network

Sex differences in ischemic stroke during COVID-19 first outbreak in northern Italy

INTRODUCTION

COVID-19 pandemic had a great impact on outcome in SARS-CoV-2 positive patients with ischemic stroke during the first wave in Italy. Few data are available on outcome stratified by sex.

METHODS

The Italian Society of Hospital Neuroscience conducted a multi-center, retrospective, observational study on neurological complications in COVID-19 patients with ischemic stroke. All the patients admitted from March 1st to April 30th, 2020 in 20 Neurology Units in Northern Italy were recruited. Demographical and clinical features, treatment and outcome data were compared focusing on sex differences.

RESULTS

812 patients with ischemic stroke were enrolled, of whom 129 with COVID-19; males were 53.8%. In-hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients was 35.3% in males and 27.9% in females while 8.5% in male and 5.8% in female patients without COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 positive patients had a higher frequency of stroke of undetermined etiology, than negative ones (32.8% vs 22.5%; p = 0.02), especially in females compared to males (36.1% vs 27.9%), albeit without statistical significance. Male patients with SARS-CoV-2 were more likely to require cPAP (30.9% vs 14.8%; p = 0.03), endotracheal tube (14.9% vs 3.3%; p = 0.02) and reperfusion strategies (29.4% vs 11.5%; p = 0.01) than females, as well as to have a higher CRP and D-dimer. These elements together with older age, a total anterior circulation stroke and lymphopenia were predictors of a worse outcome.

DISCUSSION

Our study detected some differences due to sex in ischemic stroke with and without COVID-19, supporting the possibility to perform sex analyses for SARS-CoV-2 positive patients for a better clinical management.

Management of possible stroke by laypeople in pre-hospital setting: who should we train?

BACKGROUND AND AIM

The pre-hospital management of a possible stroke is fundamental for the transport of patients to the correct HUB facility; thus, they must be transported to the Emergency Department (ED) by EMS vehicles. Our study aims to analyze the factors correlated with a higher probability of accessing the ED through the EMS in this event.

METHODS

This is a retrospective observational study. All accesses in the 120 EDs of the Lombardy region, with a diagnosis of discharge whose symptoms could resemble CPSS, were analyzed between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2019.

RESULTS

We identified an increased probability of using the EMS vehicles of 0,05% (I.C. 95%: 0.04% - 0.06%; p<0.0001) for each additional year of age, considering patients aged 20 to 100 years and the percentage was significantly higher in the female population (58% vs 49%; p<0.001). Moreover, we calculated that the incidence of stroke was approximately 140 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

CONCLUSIONS

Only half of the citizens in the Lombardy region use the EMS in case of suspicion of stroke; further information campaigns are essential to educate citizens. Information strategies should be directed especially at men between 30 and 59 years old.

Intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular therapy for acute ischemic stroke in COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

The impact of COVID-19 on clinical outcomes in acute ischemic stroke patients receiving reperfusion therapy remains unclear. We therefore aimed to synthesize the available evidence to investigate the safety and short-term efficacy of reperfusion therapy in this patient population.

Methods

We searched the electronic databases MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane Library Reviews for randomized controlled trials and observational studies that investigated the use of intravenous thrombolysis, endovascular therapy, or a combination of both in acute ischemic stroke patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19, compared to controls. Our primary safety outcomes included any intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), symptomatic ICH and all-cause in-hospital mortality. Short-term favorable functional outcomes were assessed at discharge and at 3 months. We calculated pooled risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) using DerSimonian and Laird random-effects model. Heterogeneity was evaluated using Cochran's Q test and I2 statistics.

Results

We included 11 studies with a total of 477 COVID-19 positive and 8,092 COVID-19 negative ischemic stroke patients who underwent reperfusion therapy. COVID-19 positive patients exhibited a significantly higher risk of experiencing any ICH (RR 1.54, 95% CI 1.16-2.05, p < 0.001), while the nominally increased risk of symptomatic ICH in these patients did not reach statistical significance (RR 2.04, 95% CI 0.97-4.31; p = 0.06). COVID-19 positive stroke patients also had a significantly higher in-hospital mortality compared to COVID-19 negative stroke patients (RR 2.78, 95% CI 2.15-3.59, p < 0.001). Moreover, COVID-19 positive stroke patients were less likely to achieve a favorable functional outcome at discharge (RR 0.66, 95% CI 0.51-0.86, p < 0.001) compared to COVID-19 negative patients, but this difference was not observed at 3-month follow-up (RR 0.64, 95% CI 0.14-2.91, p = 0.56).

Conclusion

COVID-19 appears to have an adverse impact on acute ischemic stroke patients who undergo reperfusion therapy, leading to an elevated risk of any ICH, higher mortality and lower likelihood of favorable functional outcome.

Systematic review registration

PROSPERO, identifier CRD42022309785.

Increased stroke severity and mortality in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection: An analysis from the N3C database

BACKGROUND

Studies from early in the COVID-19 pandemic showed that patients with ischemic stroke and concurrent SARS-CoV-2 infection had increased stroke severity. We aimed to test the hypothesis that this association persisted throughout the first year of the pandemic and that a similar increase in stroke severity was present in patients with hemorrhagic stroke.

METHODS

Using the National Institute of Health National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C) database, we identified a cohort of patients with stroke hospitalized in the United States between March 1, 2020 and February 28, 2021. We propensity score matched patients with concurrent stroke and SARS-COV-2 infection and available NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores to all other patients with stroke in a 1:3 ratio. Nearest neighbor matching with a caliper of 0.25 was used for most factors and exact matching was used for race/ethnicity and site. We modeled stroke severity as measured by admission NIHSS and the outcomes of death and length of stay. We also explored the temporal relationship between time of SARS-COV-2 diagnosis and incidence of stroke.

RESULTS

Our query identified 43,295 patients hospitalized with ischemic stroke (5765 with SARS-COV-2, 37,530 without) and 18,107 patients hospitalized with hemorrhagic stroke (2114 with SARS-COV-2, 15,993 without). Analysis of our propensity matched cohort revealed that stroke patients with concurrent SARS-COV-2 had increased NIHSS (Ischemic stroke: IRR=1.43, 95% CI:1.33-1.52, p<0.001; hemorrhagic stroke: IRR=1.20, 95% CI:1.08-1.33, p<0.001), length of stay (Ischemic stroke: estimate = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.37, 1.61, p<0.001; hemorrhagic stroke: estimate = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.47, p=0.007) and higher odds of death (Ischemic stroke: OR 2.19, 95% CI: 1.79-2.68, p<0.001; hemorrhagic stroke: OR 2.19, 95% CI: 1.79-2.68, p<0.001). We observed the highest incidence of stroke diagnosis on the same day as SARS-COV-2 diagnosis with a logarithmic decline in counts.

CONCLUSION

This retrospective observational analysis suggests that stroke severity in patients with concurrent SARS-COV-2 was increased throughout the first year of the pandemic.

Safety and Outcome of Revascularization Treatment in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke and COVID-19: The Global COVID-19 Stroke Registry

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

COVID-19-related inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and coagulopathy may increase the bleeding risk and lower the efficacy of revascularization treatments in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). We aimed to evaluate the safety and outcomes of revascularization treatments in patients with AIS and COVID-19.

METHODS

This was a retrospective multicenter cohort study of consecutive patients with AIS receiving intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) and/or endovascular treatment (EVT) between March 2020 and June 2021 tested for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. With a doubly robust model combining propensity score weighting and multivariate regression, we studied the association of COVID-19 with intracranial bleeding complications and clinical outcomes. Subgroup analyses were performed according to treatment groups (IVT-only and EVT).

RESULTS

Of a total of 15,128 included patients from 105 centers, 853 (5.6%) were diagnosed with COVID-19; of those, 5,848 (38.7%) patients received IVT-only and 9,280 (61.3%) EVT (with or without IVT). Patients with COVID-19 had a higher rate of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (SICH) (adjusted OR 1.53; 95% CI 1.16-2.01), symptomatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (SSAH) (OR 1.80; 95% CI 1.20-2.69), SICH and/or SSAH combined (OR 1.56; 95% CI 1.23-1.99), 24-hour mortality (OR 2.47; 95% CI 1.58-3.86), and 3-month mortality (OR 1.88; 95% CI 1.52-2.33). Patients with COVID-19 also had an unfavorable shift in the distribution of the modified Rankin score at 3 months (OR 1.42; 95% CI 1.26-1.60).

DISCUSSION

Patients with AIS and COVID-19 showed higher rates of intracranial bleeding complications and worse clinical outcomes after revascularization treatments than contemporaneous non-COVID-19 patients receiving treatment. Current available data do not allow direct conclusions to be drawn on the effectiveness of revascularization treatments in patients with COVID-19 or to establish different treatment recommendations in this subgroup of patients with ischemic stroke. Our findings can be taken into consideration for treatment decisions, patient monitoring, and establishing prognosis.

TRIAL REGISTRATION INFORMATION

The study was registered under ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04895462.

Efficacy and safety of recanalization therapy for acute ischemic stroke with COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly spread worldwide and created a tremendous threat to global health. Growing evidence suggests that patients with COVID-19 have more severe acute ischemic stroke (AIS). However, the overall efficacy and safety of recanalization therapy for AIS patients infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus is unknown.

Methods

The PRISMA guideline 2020 was followed. Two independent investigators systematically searched databases and ClinicalTrials.gov to identify relevant studies published up to 31 March 2022. AIS patients who received any recanalization treatments were categorized into those with COVID-19 and those without COVID-19. The main efficacy outcomes were patients' functional independence on discharge and successful recanalization, and the safety outcomes were in-hospital mortality and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage. Subgroup analyses were implemented to assess the influence of admission National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and different recanalization treatments on the outcomes. STATA software 12.0 was used for the statistical analysis.

Results

This systematic review and meta-analysis identified 10 studies with 7,042 patients, including 596 COVID-19 positive patients and 6,446 COVID-19 negative patients. Of the total patients, 2,414 received intravenous thrombolysis while 4,628 underwent endovascular thrombectomy. COVID-19 positive patients had significantly lower rates of functional independence at discharge [odds ratio (OR) 0.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.15 to 0.59, P = 0.001], lower rates of successful recanalization (OR 0.40, 95% CI 0.24 to 0.68, P = 0.001), longer length of hospital stay (weighted mean difference 5.09, 95% CI 1.25 to 8.94, P = 0.009) and higher mortality rates (OR 3.38, 95% CI 2.43 to 4.70, P &lt; 0.0001). Patients with COVID-19 had a higher risk of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage than the control group, although the difference did not reach statistical significance (OR 2.34, 95% CI 0.99 to 5.54, P = 0.053).

Conclusions

Compared with COVID-19 negative AIS patients who received recanalization treatments, COVID-19 positive patients turned out to have poorer outcomes. Particular attention needs to be paid to the treatments for these COVID-19 patients to decrease mortality and morbidity. Long-term follow-up is necessary to evaluate the recanalization treatments for AIS patients with COVID-19.

Systematic review registration

https://inplasy.com/inplasy-2022-4-0022/, identifier: INPLASY202240022.

Central nervous system outcomes of COVID-19

The worldwide pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected an estimated 200 million people with over 4 million deaths. Although COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is primarily a respiratory disease, an increasing number of neurologic symptoms have been reported. Some of these symptoms, such as loss of smell or taste, are mild and non-life threatening, while others, such as stroke or seizure, are more critical. Many of these symptoms remain long after the acute illness has passed, a phenomenon known as "long COVID" or postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC). Neurological symptoms can be difficult to study due to the complexity of the central and peripheral nervous system. These neurologic symptoms can be difficult to identify and quantitate. This narrative review will describe approaches for assessing neurologic manifestations of COVID-19, with examples of the data they provide, as well as some directions for future research to aid in understanding the pathophysiology of COVID-19-related neurological implications.

Characteristics, Management, and Case-Fatality of Patients Hospitalized for Stroke with a Diagnosis of COVID-19 in France

Introduction

COVID-19 was found to be associated with an increased risk of stroke. This study aimed to compare characteristics, management, and outcomes of hospitalized stroke patients with or without a hospital diagnosis of CO­VID-19 at a nationwide scale.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional study on all French hospitals covering the entire French population using the French national hospital discharge databases (Programme de Médicalisation des Systèmes d'Information, included in the Système National des Données de Santé). All patients hospitalized for stroke between 1 January and 14 June 2020 in France were selected. A diagnosis of COVID-19 was searched for during the index hospitalization for stroke or in a prior hospitalization that had occurred after 1 January 2020.

Results

Among the 56,195 patients hospitalized for stroke, 800 (1.4%) had a concomitant COVID-19 diagnosis. Inhospital case-fatality rates were higher in stroke patients with COVID-19, particularly for patients with a primary diagnosis of COVID-19 (33.2%), as compared to patients hospitalized for stroke without CO­VID-19 diagnosis (14.1%). Similar findings were observed for 3-month case-fatality rates adjusted for age and sex that reached 41.7% in patients hospitalized for stroke with a concomitant primary diagnosis of COVID-19 versus 20.0% in strokes without COVID-19.

Conclusion

Patients hospitalized for stroke with a concomitant COVID-19 diagnosis had a higher inhospital and 3 months case-fatality rates compared to patients hospitalized for stroke without a COVID-19 diagnosis. Further research is needed to better understand the excess of mortality related to these cases.

Stroke Mechanism in COVID-19 Infection: A Prospective Case-Control Study

Background

The characteristics and pathophysiological mechanisms involved in acute ischemic stroke in patients with COVID-19 infection have not been fully clarified. We prospectively studied the phenotypic and etiological features of acute stroke occurring in COVID-19 infection.

Patients & methods

Within nine months starting from April-2020, the presence of COVID-19 infection was determined by thoracic CT and SARS-CoV-2 PCR in all acute stroke cases managed in a single tertiary center. Consecutive and prospective data on vascular risk factors/comorbidities, in-hospital quality metrics, discharge outcomes, etiological subclassification and blood markers of thrombosis / inflammation were compared in 44 COVID-19 positive cases (37 acute ischemic stroke, 5 TIA, 2 intracerebral hematoma) and 509 COVID-19 negative patients (355 ischemic, 105 TIA, 44 hematoma and 5 stroke mimic).

Results

COVID-19 positive patients had more severe strokes, delayed hospital admission, longer hospital stay, higher mortality rates, but had similar vascular risk factors/comorbidities frequency, thrombolysis/thrombectomy utilization rates, metrics, and stroke etiological subtype. They had significantly higher CRP, fibrinogen, ferritin, leukocyte count and lower lymphocyte count. No difference was detected in aPTT, INR, D-dimer, platelet, hemoglobin, homocysteine levels and ANA, anti-dsDNA antibody and ENA panel positivity rates. Anti-phospholipid antibodies have been studied in 70% of COVID-19 positive and all cryptogenic patients, but were never found positive. Tests for coagulation factor levels and hereditary thrombophilia did not show major thrombophilia in any of the stroke patients with COVID-19.

Conclusion

We documented that there is no significant difference in etiological spectrum in acute stroke patients with COVID-19 infection. In addition, cryptogenic stroke and antiphospholipid antibody positivity rates did not increase.