Baseline functional status as a variable in personalized acute stroke care

Endovascular Therapy for Acute Ischemic Stroke in Patients With Prestroke Disability

Background

Outcomes after stroke as a result of large‐vessel occlusion in patients with prestroke disability were compared between endovascular therapy (EVT) and medical management.

Methods and Results

Of 2420 patients with acute stroke with large‐vessel occlusion in a prospective, multicenter, nationwide registry in Japan, patients with prestroke modified Rankin Scale scores 2 to 4 with occlusion of the internal carotid artery, or M1 of the middle cerebral artery were analyzed. The primary effectiveness outcome was the favorable outcome, defined as return to at least the prestroke modified Rankin Scale score at 3 months. Safety outcomes included symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage. A total of 339 patients (237 women; median 85 [interquartile range (IQR), 79–89] years of age; median prestroke modified Rankin Scale score of 3 [IQR, 2–4]) were analyzed. EVT was performed in 175 patients (51.6%; mechanical thrombectomy, n=139). The EVT group was younger (p<0.01) and had lower prestroke modified Rankin Scale scores (p<0.01) than the medical management group. The favorable outcome was seen in 28.0% of the EVT group and in 10.9% of the medical management group (p<0.01). EVT was associated with the favorable outcome (adjusted odds ratio, 3.01; 95% CI, 1.55–5.85; mixed effects multivariable model with inverse probability of treatment weighting). Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage rates were similar between the EVT (4.0%) and medical management (4.3%) groups (p=1.00).

Conclusions

Patients who underwent EVT showed better functional outcomes than those with medical management. Given proper patient selection, withholding EVT solely on the basis of prestroke disability might not offer the best chance of favorable outcome.

Registration

URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT02419794.

Toward a more inclusive paradigm: thrombectomy for stroke patients with pre-existing disabilities

BACKGROUND

Persons with pre-existing disabilities represent over one-third of acute stroke presentations, but account for a far smaller proportion of those receiving endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) and thrombolysis. This is despite existing ethical, economic, legal, and social directives to maximize equity for this vulnerable population. We sought to determine associations between baseline modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and outcomes after EVT.

METHODS

Individuals who underwent EVT were identified from a prospectively maintained database. Demographics, medical history, presentations, treatments, and outcomes were recorded. Baseline disability was defined as baseline mRS≥2. Accumulated disability was defined as the delta between baseline mRS and absolute 90-day mRS.

RESULTS

Of 381 individuals, 49 had baseline disability (five with mRS=4, 23 mRS=3, 21 mRS=2). Those with baseline disability were older (81 vs 68 years, P<0.0001), more likely female (65% vs 49%, P=0.032), had more coronary disease (39% vs 20%, P=0.006), stroke/TIA history (35% vs 15%, P=0.002), and higher NIH Stroke Scale (19 vs 16, P=0.001). Baseline mRS was associated with absolute 90-day mRS ≤2 (OR=0.509, 95%CI=0.370-0.700). However, baseline mRS bore no association with accumulated disability by delta mRS ≤0 (ie, return to baseline, OR=1.247, 95%CI=0.943-1.648), delta mRS ≤1 (OR=1.149, 95%CI=0.906-1.458), delta mRS ≤2 (OR 1.097, 95% CI 0.869-1.386), TICI 2b-3 reperfusion (OR=0.914, 95%CI=0.712-1.173), final infarct size (P=0.853, β=-0.014), or intracerebral hemorrhage (OR=0.521, 95%CI=0.244-1.112).

CONCLUSIONS

While baseline mRS was associated with absolute 90-day disability, there was no association with accumulated disability or other outcomes. Patients with baseline disability should not be routinely excluded from EVT based on baseline mRS alone.