Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement vs. Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement for Long-Term Mortality Due to Stroke and Myocardial Infarction: A Meta-Analysis during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background and objectives: One of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in people over the age of 50 is stroke. The acceptance of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) as a treatment option for severe symptomatic aortic stenosis (AS) has increased as a result of numerous randomized clinical trials comparing surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) and TAVR in high- and intermediate-risk patients, showing comparable clinical outcomes and valve hemodynamics. Materials and Methods: An electronic search of Medline, Google Scholar and Cochrane Central was carried out from their inception to 28 September 2022 without any language restrictions. Results: Our meta-analysis demonstrated that, as compared with SAVR, TAVR was not linked with a lower stroke ratio or stroke mortality. It is clear from this that the SAVR intervention techniques applied in the six studies were successful in reducing cardiogenic consequences over time. Conclusions: A significantly decreased rate of mortality from cardiogenic causes was associated with SAVR. Additionally, when TAVR and SAVR were compared for stroke mortality, the results were nonsignificant with a p value of 0.57, indicating that none of these procedures could decrease stroke-related mortality.

Outcome and characteristics of COVID-19 patients associated with stroke: a multicenter hospital-based study in Egypt.

Background:  Nearly 55 percent of patients are said to be affected by the neurological effects of COVID-19. COVID-19 was shown to be related with stroke in 0.9 to 5% of people. It's critical to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the outcomes of acute ischemic stroke. The goal of this study was to look at the outcomes and characteristics of patients who had an acute ischemic stroke due to covid-19 infection. Results:  The participants in this study were 399 people who had had a stroke. COVID-19 positivity was confirmed in 77 cases, while COVID-19 negativity was confirmed in 322. In the COVID-19 and control groups, the average age of the patients was 65.4 ± 10.2 and 65.3 ± 11.8, respectively. The Covid-19 and control groups had a mean stroke onset of 5.2 ± 2.1 and 5.7 ± 3.8 h, respectively (P = 0.12). There was a high in-hospital mortality rate among patients with COVID-19 with a rate of 11.7% compared to 4.04% among the control group (P = 0.02). At discharge, the number of patients with mRS > 2 was higher (P = 0.001) among the COVID-19. There was a correlation between the mean levels of D-Dimer (r = 0.668, P < 0.001), the severity of COVID-19 (r = 0.802, P < 0.001), and mRS > 2. Conclusion: Despite receiving equal acute care as non-COVID-19 patients, COVID-19 patients had more severe strokes and had worse outcomes. This includes a high chance of death while in the hospital as well as a significant level of disability. Neurologists should use timely and effective therapies, particularly for patients who are at a higher risk of having a stroke. This includes elderly patients, patients with severe COVID-19, patients with high levels of D-Dimer, and those with high NIHSS.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Stroke Epidemiology and Clinical Stroke Practice in the US.

INTRODUCTION: To examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on stroke, the number of stroke patients, time since last known well (LKW), morbidity, and mortality of stroke patients in Southwest Healthcare System (SHS), California (CA) and the United States (US) were analyzed during 2019 and compared to 2020. Our hypothesis is that there are regional differences in stroke outcome depending on location during the COVID-19 study period which influences stroke epidemiology and clinical stroke practice. METHODS: The American Heart Association's 'Get with the Guidelines' (GWTG) database was used to evaluate the following categories: code stroke, diagnosis of stroke upon discharge, inpatient mortality, modified Rankin Score (mRS) upon discharge (morbidity), and time since last known well (LKW). Stroke registry data from February through June 2019 and 2020 were collected for retrospective review. RESULTS: The total number of strokes decreased in the US and CA, but increased in SHS during the COVID-19 study period. The US and SHS demonstrated no change in stroke mortality, but CA demonstrated a higher stroke mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic. There was greater loss of independence with increased stroke morbidity in the US during the COVID-19 pandemic. There was a significant increase in time since LKW in the US and SHS, and an increase trend in time since LKW in CA during the COVID-19 study period. DISCUSSION: To understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on stroke epidemiology, we propose that all stroke inpatients should receive a SARS-CoV-2 detection test and this result be entered into the GWTG database. We demonstrate that the regional distribution of stroke mortality in the US changed during the COVID-19 study period, with increased stroke mortality in CA. Stroke morbidity throughout the US was significantly worse during the COVID-19 pandemic. We propose methods to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on clinical stroke practice such as the use of mobile stroke units, clinical trials using anti-inflammation drugs on SARS-CoV-2 positive stroke patients, and COVID stroke rehabilitation centers.