Risk, Clinical Course, and Outcome of Ischemic Stroke in Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19: A Multicenter Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The frequency of ischemic stroke in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) varies in the current literature, and risk factors are unknown. We assessed the incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of acute ischemic stroke in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. METHODS: We included patients with a laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2) infection admitted in 16 Dutch hospitals participating in the international CAPACITY-COVID registry between March 1 and August 1, 2020. Patients were screened for the occurrence of acute ischemic stroke. We calculated the cumulative incidence of ischemic stroke and compared risk factors, cardiovascular complications, and in-hospital mortality in patients with and without ischemic stroke. RESULTS: We included 2147 patients with COVID-19, of whom 586 (27.3%) needed treatment at an intensive care unit. Thirty-eight patients (1.8%) had an ischemic stroke. Patients with stroke were older but did not differ in sex or cardiovascular risk factors. Median time between the onset of COVID-19 symptoms and diagnosis of stroke was 2 weeks. The incidence of ischemic stroke was higher among patients who were treated at an intensive care unit (16/586; 2.7% versus nonintensive care unit, 22/1561; 1.4%; P=0.039). Pulmonary embolism was more common in patients with (8/38; 21.1%) than in those without stroke (160/2109; 7.6%; adjusted risk ratio, 2.08 [95% CI, 1.52-2.84]). Twenty-seven patients with ischemic stroke (71.1%) died during admission or were functionally dependent at discharge. Patients with ischemic stroke were at a higher risk of in-hospital mortality (adjusted risk ratio, 1.56 [95% CI, 1.13-2.15]) than patients without stroke. CONCLUSIONS: In this multicenter cohort study, the cumulative incidence of acute ischemic stroke in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 was ≈2%, with a higher risk in patients treated at an intensive care unit. The majority of stroke patients had a poor outcome. The association between ischemic stroke and pulmonary embolism warrants further investigation.

Safety and Outcome of Intra-Arterial Treatment for Basilar Artery Occlusion.

IMPORTANCE: After the many positive results in thrombectomy trials in ischemic stroke of the anterior circulation, the question arises whether these positive results also apply to the patient with basilar artery occlusion (BAO). OBJECTIVE: To report up-to-date outcome data of intra-arterial (IA) treatment in patients with BAO and to evaluate the influence of collateral circulation on outcome. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Single-center retrospective case series of 38 consecutive patients with BAO who underwent IA treatment between 2006 and 2015 at a comprehensive stroke center. EXPOSURES: Intra-arterial treatment by mechanical thrombectomy and/or IA thrombolysis. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Adequate recanalization was defined as a score of 2b or 3 on the Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction score. Favorable outcome was defined as a modified Rankin Scale of 0 to 3 at first follow-up. Imaging data on the patency of the vertebral arteries and posterior communicating arteries, as well as the presence of cerebellar arterial anastomosis, were recorded and posttreatment imaging results were reviewed. RESULTS: Of the 38 patients with BAO, mean (SD) age was 58 (16) years, and 21 (55%) were male. Twenty-seven patients (71%) were treated with intravenous thrombolysis before IA therapy. Mechanical thrombectomy was applied to 30 patients, and 7 patients received local urokinase without thrombectomy. The median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score was 21 (interquartile range [IQR], 15-32) points, and median time to IA treatment was 288 (IQR, 216-380) minutes. Adequate recanalization was achieved in 34 of 38 cases (89%). Functional outcome was favorable in 19 (50%) patients. No association between patent collateral circulation and favorable outcome was found. Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage occurred in 2 patients (5%). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The proportion of patients reaching a favorable outcome in our study is comparable to the IA-treated group of the MR CLEAN trial and better than the results reported in the BASICS registry, suggesting that IA intervention in patients with BAO is an effective and safe treatment modality in daily clinical practice.