[Acute treatment of intracerebral hemorrhage]. / Akutbehandlung der intrazerebralen Blutung.

BACKGROUND: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) represents one of the most severe forms of stroke with high morbidity and mortality; however, effective treatment options to significantly improve patient outcome do not exist so far. OBJECTIVE: This review article evaluates the most recent developments in acute ICH treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Analysis and interpretation of currently available evidence regarding ICH treatment, focusing on the most important studies from the last 3 years. RESULTS: Hematoma enlargement, perhaps the most important prognostic factor, should be counteracted by aggressive blood pressure management (targeted systolic pressure 140 mm Hg). In cases of ICH under oral anticoagulation, inhibition of coagulation must be immediately antagonized: vitamin K antagonists with prothrombin complex concentrates (PCC), idarucizumab for dabigatran and andexanet if available or high-dose PCC for factor Xa inhibitors. Currently, surgical treatment strategies, both open and minimally invasive, to evacuate the hematoma can currently not be routinely recommended. In patients with intraventricular ICH, treatment with intraventricular fibrinolysis with or without additional lumbar drainage represents a promising treatment option. CONCLUSION: In recent years, several randomized controlled and observational studies have generated robust evidence regarding ICH treatment; however, there is still no single breakthrough intervention, which significantly improves patient functional outcome. Nevertheless, the sum of various, possibly interacting treatment concepts may potentially improve outcome after ICH.

[Management of oral anticoagulation related intracerebral hemorrhage]. / Management von intrazerebralen Blutungen unter oraler Antikoagulation.

The incidence of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in patients using oral anticoagulation (OAC) will continue to increase with the demographic change of an aging population. As compared to primary spontaneous ICH, OAC-ICH is characterized by larger hematoma volumes, more frequent hematoma enlargement and intraventricular hemorrhage resulting in an even worse prognosis. Specific treatment should focus on immediate reversal of anticoagulation in addition to the basic acute management of ICH. In ICH patients using vitamin K antagonists (VKA), complete anticoagulant reversal with an international normalized ratio (INR) <1.3 should be achieved as quickly as possible using prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC) with additional substitution of vitamin K. Patients with ICH under dabigatran treatment should receive idarucizumab. In ICH patients using factor-Xa inhibitors, andexanet should be administered as soon as approved in Europe or within clinical studies and if unavailable alternatively high-dose PCC administration. Regarding OAC resumption, results from randomized trials are pending. In comprehensive observational studies and meta-analyses ICH patients resuming OAC showed a reduced incidence of thromboembolic events and mortality without significantly increased rates of hemorrhagic complications. Non-vitamin K dependent oral anticoagulants (NOAC) might further increase the safety of OAC resumption, which should be initiated after 4-8 weeks for patients with atrial fibrillation. In contrast, VKA resumption in patients with mechanical heart valves should not take place earlier than 1 week after ICH. Generally, safety of OAC resumption appears to be affected by ICH localization along with the presence of cerebral microbleeding, cortical superficial siderosis and cortical/convexity subarachnoid hemorrhage, making it crucial to weigh up the individual patient risk with respect to thromboembolic versus hemorrhagic events.