Risk of delirium and impaired neurological outcome associated with delay in neurorehabilitation after acquired brain injury.

INTRODUCTION Brain injury from haemorrhage, trauma, aneurysm and stroke is characterised by high mortality and impaired neurological outcome. In the OUTREACH study, the authors wanted to assess patient care from admission to intensive neuro rehabilitation to discharge. We hypothesised that early rehabilitation was beneficial to neurological outcome. METHODS 180-day mortality and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) were primary end points. Secondary end points included length of stay, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) on admission, ventilator days, Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS II/III) and serious adverse events. RESULTS Sixty-seven patients were included. Mortality at 180 days was 17.91% and the median mRS score was four. Length of stay was 20.89 ± 12.33 days. GCS at admittance was 13 (3-15). The average SAPS II/III score was 55.72 ± 20.03. Twenty-eight patients suffered from serious adverse events. In all, 47 patients waited for transfer to another facility for an average of 7.77 ± 6.08 days. For mRS, the linear model indicated a negative effect of waiting time (effect = -0.056 (95% confidence interval (CI): -0.117-0.004); p = 0.07). Risk of delirium was significantly affected by waiting time; an additional day of waiting increased the risk of delirium by 13.4% (odds ratio = 1.134 (95% CI: 1.028-1.252); p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS In this study, mortality and neurological outcome were comparable with those reported in similar studies. Waiting for transfer to another facility due to capacity significantly impairs neurological outcome and increases delirium. FUNDING none. TRIAL REGISTRATION not relevant.

Prevalence and severity of fatigue in adolescents and young adults with acquired brain injury: A nationwide study.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence and severity of fatigue in adolescents and young adults with acquired brain injury (ABI) compared with healthy controls (HCs) and to examine associations between fatigue and gender, age and level of education. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 15-30 year old patients with ABI and a convenience sample of 15-30 year old HCs. All participants completed the 20-item Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20). Pathological fatigue was defined as "General Fatigue" ≥12. Adjusted mean differences between groups were calculated using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). The adjusted prevalence proportion ratio (PPRadj) of pathological fatigue was calculated using Poisson regression. Results: The patients (n = 334) had higher scores than the HCs (n = 168) on all MFI-20 subscales with adjusted mean differences ranging from 1.7 to 4.7 and a higher prevalence of pathological fatigue (73% versus 29%), PPRadj 2.7 (95% confidence interval 2.1-3.5). Female patients experienced more fatigue than males on the "General Fatigue" and "Reduced Activity" subscales, while no gender differences were found in the HC group. Patients and HCs with elementary education had elevated scores on the "Reduced Activity" and "Mental Fatigue" subscales. Age was not associated with any of the subscale scores. Conclusion: Young patients with ABI had markedly higher prevalence and severity of fatigue than HCs. Age (15-30 years) was not associated with fatigue. No clear patterns of associations were evident with gender and level of education. Abbreviations: ABI: acquired brain injury; CI: confidence interval; GF: general fatigue; GOSE: Glasgow Outcome Scale Extended; HC: healthy control; MANCOVA: multivariate analysis of covariance; MF: mental fatigue; MFI-20: Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory-20; PF: physical fatigue; RA: reduced activity; RM: reduced motivation; TBI: traumatic brain injury.

Anticoagulant treatment in patients with atrial fibrillation and ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac dysrhythmia, with a lifetime risk of 25%, and it is a well-known independent risk factor for ischemic stroke. Over the last 15 years, efforts have been made to initiate relevant treatment in patients with AF. A retrospective study was set up to clarify whether this effort has resulted in a decreased proportion of patients with known AF experiencing an ischemic stroke. METHODS: Patients admitted to the Department of Neurology, Vejle Hospital, Denmark, with ischemic stroke from January 1997 to December 2012 were included in the study. RESULTS: A total of 4134 patients were included in the study. Overall, the yearly proportion of patients with known AF varied between 9% and 18%. No significant change was observed (P = .511). The proportion of patients with known AF treated with anticoagulants at the time of the stroke and the proportion of newly discovered AF were significantly increasing during the study period (P = .002 and P = .035, respectively). Subgroup analysis of the patients aged 65-75 years showed similar results. CONCLUSIONS: No significant reduction in the proportion of patients admitted with ischemic stroke and AF was observed. An explanation could be an increase in the prevalence of AF in the general population, leaving the proportion of patients admitted with ischemic stroke unchanged. Other risk factors have been sought reduced as well with the implementation of national guidelines regarding hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes.

Smoking cessation intervention after ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack. A randomized controlled pilot trial.

BACKGROUND: Smoking cessation is widely recommended for secondary stroke prevention. However, little is known about the efficacy of smoking cessation intervention after stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). METHODS: Ninety-four smokers under age 76, admitted with ischemic stroke or TIA were randomized to minimal smoking cessation intervention or intensive smoking cessation intervention. All patients attended a 30-min individual counseling by the study nurse. Patients randomized to intensive smoking cessation intervention also participated in a 5-session outpatient smoking cessation program by an authorized smoking cessation instructor, a 30-min outpatient visit after 6 weeks, and 5 telephone counseling sessions by the study nurse. Free samples of nicotine replacement therapy were offered as part of the intensive smoking cessation program. Smoking cessation rates at 6 months were determined by self-report and verified by measurement of exhaled carbon monoxide (CO). Fewer patients than expected were recruited, which renders this report a pilot study. RESULTS: The 6-month self-reported smoking cessation rate was 37.8% in the minimal intervention group and 42.9% in the intensive intervention group. Smoking cessation rates verified by exhaled CO levels in the minimal intervention group and the intensive intervention group were 28.9% and 32.7%, respectively. No difference was found between the two groups (χ(2) = 0.16, p = .69). CONCLUSIONS: Overall smoking cessation rates were moderate and comparable to the results from other studies. Intensive smoking cessation intervention was not superior to short smoking cessation intervention. Thus, other factors than intensity of smoking cessation intervention might influence the smoking cessation rates after stroke or TIA.