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Background: Major intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) trials have largely been unable to demonstrate therapeutic benefit in improving functional outcomes. This may be partly due to the heterogeneity of ICH outcomes based on their location, where a small strategic ICH could be debilitating, thus confounding therapeutic effects. We aimed to determine the ideal hematoma volume cutoff for different ICH locations in predicting ICH outcomes. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed consecutive ICH patients enrolled in the University of Hong Kong prospective stroke registry from January 2011 to December 2018. Patients with premorbid modified Rankin Scale score >2 or who underwent neurosurgical intervention were excluded. ICH volume cutoff, sensitivity, and specificity in predicting respective 6-month neurological outcomes (good [modified Rankin Scale score 0–2], poor [modified Rankin Scale score 4–6], and mortality) for specific ICH locations were determined using receiver operating characteristic curves. Separate multivariate logistic regression models were also conducted for each location-specific volume cutoff to determine whether these cutoffs were independently associated with respective outcomes. Results: Among 533 ICHs, the volume cutoff for good outcome according to ICH location was 40.5 mL for lobar, 32.5 mL for putamen/external capsule, 5.5 mL for internal capsule/globus pallidus, 6.5 mL for thalamus, 17 mL for cerebellum, and 3 mL for brainstem. ICH smaller than the cutoff for all supratentorial sites had higher odds of good outcomes (all P P P 0.8), except in predicting good outcome for cerebellum. Conclusions: ICH outcomes differed with location-specific hematoma size. Location-specific volume cutoff should be considered in patient selection for ICH trials.

Background: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) survivors are at high risk for recurrent stroke and cardiovascular events. Blood pressure (BP) control represents the most potent intervention to lower these risks, but optimal treatment targets in this patient population remain unknown. We sought to determine whether survivors of ICH achieving more intensive BP control than current guideline recommendations (systolic BP Methods: We analyzed data for 1828 survivors of spontaneous ICH from 2 cohort studies. Follow-up BP measurements were recorded 3 and 6 months after ICH, and every 6 months thereafter. Outcomes of interest were major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (recurrent ICH, incident ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction), vascular mortality (defined as mortality attributed to recurrent ICH, ischemic stroke, or myocardial infarction), and all-cause mortality. Results: During a median follow-up of 46.2 months, we observed 166 recurrent ICH, 68 ischemic strokes, 69 myocardial infarction, and 429 deaths. Compared with survivors of ICH with systolic BP 120 to 129 mmHg, participants who achieved systolic BP 75 years or with modified Rankin Scale score 4 to 5, systolic BP Conclusions: Targeting systolic BP

Background and Purpose: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has led to disruptions in health care service delivery worldwide, inevitably affecting stroke survivors requiring ongoing rehabilitation and chronic illness management. To date, no published research has been found on stroke caregiving during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to explore Hong Kong stroke caregivers’ caregiving experiences in the midst of this difficult time. Methods: Individual semistructured interviews were conducted with 25 Chinese adult primary stroke caregivers from May to June 2020 via telephone. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using an interpretive description approach and constant comparison strategy. Results: Five themes of the stroke caregiving experience during the COVID-19 pandemic emerged: care service adversities, additional caregiving workload and strain, threatened relationship between caregiver and stroke survivors, threats to caregivers’ physical and psychological well-being, and needs for continuing caregiving roles. Our findings suggested that caregivers have worsened physical and psychological well-being because of increases in care burden with simultaneously reduced formal and informal support. The relationship between caregiver and stroke survivor was subsequently affected, placing some survivors at heightened risk of abuse. Conclusions: Our study provides valuable findings about stroke caregiving experiences and needs during the pandemic. Delivery of psychological support, telemedicine, and household hygiene resources would be useful to mitigate caregivers’ psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background and Purpose— Intracranial atherosclerosis (ICAS) is an important cause of large vessel occlusion and poses unique challenges for emergent endovascular thrombectomy. The risk factor profile and therapeutic outcomes of patients with ICAS-related occlusions (ICAS-O) are unclear. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies reporting the clinical features and thrombectomy outcomes of large vessel occlusion stroke secondary to underlying ICAS (ICAS-O) versus those of other causes (non–ICAS-O). Methods— A literature search on thrombectomy for ICAS-O was performed. Random-effect meta-analysis was used to analyze the prevalence of stroke risk factors and outcomes of thrombectomy between ICAS-O and non–ICAS-O groups. Results— A total of 1967 patients (496 ICAS-O and 1471 non–ICAS-O) were included. The ICAS-O group had significantly higher prevalence of hypertension (odds ratio [OR] 1.46; 95% CI, 1.10–1.93), diabetes mellitus (OR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.29–2.20), dyslipidemia (OR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.04–3.62), smoking history (OR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.40–3.17) but less atrial fibrillation (OR, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.13–0.31) than the non–ICAS-O group. About thrombectomy outcomes, ICAS-O had higher intraprocedural reocclusion rate (OR, 23.7; 95% CI, 6.96–80.7), need for rescue balloon angioplasty (OR, 9.49; 95% CI, 4.11–21.9), rescue intracranial stenting (OR, 14.9; 95% CI, 7.64–29.2), and longer puncture-to-reperfusion time (80.8 versus 55.5 minutes, mean difference 21.3; 95% CI, 11.3–31.3). There was no statistical difference in the rate of final recanalization (modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction score of 2b/3; OR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.36–1.27), symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (OR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.50–1.24), good functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale score of 0–2; OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 0.85–1.58), and mortality (OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.64–1.39) between ICAS-O and non–ICAS-O. Conclusions— Patients with ICAS-O display a unique risk factor profile and technical challenges for endovascular reperfusion therapy. Intraprocedural reocclusion occurs in one-third of patients with ICAS-O. Intraarterial glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors infusion, balloon angioplasty, and intracranial stenting may be viable rescue treatment to achieve revascularization, resulting in comparable outcomes to non–ICAS-O.

Introduction: Survivors of Intracerebral Hemorrhage (ICH) are at high risk of recurrent stroke. This risk is inversely proportional to average Blood Pressure (BP) after ICH. Racial/ethnic minority ICH survivors in the US demonstrate greater hypertension severity after ICH and are at higher risk of recurrent cerebral bleeding. Since most recurrent strokes occur within 12-18 months of index ICH, rapidly achieving BP control is likely to be crucial. We investigated the frequency, prognostic impact, and racial/ethnic disparities in uncontrolled short-term hypertension (HTN) after ICH. Methods: We analyzed data from prospective ICH cohort studies at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH-ICH, n=1305) and the University of Hong Kong (HK-ICH, n=523). We classified HTN as controlled, uncontrolled or treatment-resistant and determined: 1) risk factors for uncontrolled and treatment-resistant HTN; and 2) whether HTN control at 3 months is associated with long-term BP control, stroke recurrence and mortality across self-reported race/ethnicity groups. Results: We followed 1828 ICH survivors (1128 White, 565 Asian, 59 Hispanic, 49 Black, 27 other) for a median of 46.2 months. Only 9 of 172 (5%) recurrent strokes occurred before 3 months after ICH. At 3 months, 713 participants (39%) had controlled HTN, 755 (41%) had undertreated HTN, and 360 (20%) had treatment-resistant HTN. BP measurements at 3 months were highly correlated with measurements during follow-up (p Conclusions: Most ICH survivors have inadequate HTN control 3 months after ICH, with under-treatment accounting for the majority of cases. Three-month BP measurements are associated with inadequate long-term HTN control, higher recurrent stroke risk and mortality. ICH survivors self-reporting as Black, Hispanic or Asian appear to be at highest risk for uncontrolled HTN. Optimizing HTN control at 3 months is a unique opportunity to address racial/ethnic disparities in quality of care among survivors of primary ICH.

Background and Purpose: The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic represents a global public health crisis, disrupting emergency healthcare services. We determined whether COVID-19 has resulted in delays in stroke presentation and affected the delivery of acute stroke services in a comprehensive stroke center in Hong Kong. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all patients with transient ischemic attack and stroke admitted via the acute stroke pathway of Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, during the first 60 days since the first diagnosed COVID-19 case in Hong Kong (COVID-19: January 23, 2020–March 24, 2020). We compared the stroke onset to hospital arrival (onset-to-door) time and timings of inpatient stroke pathways with patients admitted during the same period in 2019 (pre–COVID-19: January 23, 2019–March 24, 2019). Results: Seventy-three patients in COVID-19 were compared with 89 patients in pre–COVID-19. There were no significant differences in age, sex, vascular risk factors, nor stroke severity between the 2 groups ( P >0.05). The median stroke onset-to-door time was ≈1-hour longer in COVID-19 compared with pre–COVID-19 (154 versus 95 minutes, P =0.12), and the proportion of individuals with onset-to-door time within 4.5 hours was significantly lower (55% versus 72%, P =0.024). Significantly fewer cases of transient ischemic attack presented to the hospital during COVID-19 (4% versus 16%, P =0.016), despite no increase in referrals to the transient ischemic attack clinic. Inpatient stroke pathways and treatment time metrics nevertheless did not differ between the 2 groups ( P >0.05 for all comparisons). Conclusions: During the early containment phase of COVID-19, we noted a prolongation in stroke onset to hospital arrival time and a significant reduction in individuals arriving at the hospital within 4.5 hours and presenting with transient ischemic attack. Public education about stroke should continue to be reinforced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) survivors often have severe hypertension and require multiple antihypertensive agents for blood pressure (BP) control. Adequate BP control is vital for ICH prevention, but the majority of ICH survivors have uncontrolled hypertension. To understand how we might improve BP control, we aimed to identify contributors to uncontrolled hypertension, and determine antihypertensive requirements as well as predictors of the need of ≥3 antihypertensives after ICH. Methods: We studied 1172 ICH survivors from two independent ICH cohorts: Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the University of Hong Kong (HKU). We defined uncontrolled hypertension (BP ≥140/90 mmHg), inadequately medicated hypertension (uncontrolled hypertension on ≤2 antihypertensives), and resistant hypertension (uncontrolled hypertension on ≥3 antihypertensive classes or controlled hypertension on ≥4 classes) six months after ICH. Baseline predictors of the need for ≥3 antihypertensive agents were derived using multivariate logistic regression. Results: At six months post-ICH, 64.3% (502/781) of MGH ICH survivors and 32.7% (128/391) of HKU had uncontrolled hypertension. Resistant hypertension accounted for 33.5% and 29.7% of uncontrolled hypertension in the respective cohorts, while the remaining patients qualified for the designation of inadequately medicated hypertension. Excluding patients with inadequately medicated hypertension, 60.0% of patients in MGH and 37.2% in HKU required ≥3 antihypertensive agents. Age p 190 mmHg (OR 3.46, p p Conclusion: Medication inadequacy accounts for around two-thirds of uncontrolled hypertension after ICH, providing an opportunity for intervention to prevent hypertension-related complications, including ICH recurrence. As most ICH survivors required ≥3 antihypertensives for adequate BP control, early inpatient initiation of triple antihypertensive combination therapy should be considered, especially in patients with admission systolic BP of >190 mmHg, known hypertension and aged

Background and Purpose- Intracranial atherosclerosis (ICAS) is an important cause of large vessel occlusion and poses unique challenges for emergent endovascular thrombectomy. The risk factor profile and therapeutic outcomes of patients with ICAS-related occlusions (ICAS-O) are unclear. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies reporting the clinical features and thrombectomy outcomes of large vessel occlusion stroke secondary to underlying ICAS (ICAS-O) versus those of other causes (non-ICAS-O). Methods- A literature search on thrombectomy for ICAS-O was performed. Random-effect meta-analysis was used to analyze the prevalence of stroke risk factors and outcomes of thrombectomy between ICAS-O and non-ICAS-O groups. Results- A total of 1967 patients (496 ICAS-O and 1471 non-ICAS-O) were included. The ICAS-O group had significantly higher prevalence of hypertension (odds ratio [OR] 1.46; 95% CI, 1.10-1.93), diabetes mellitus (OR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.29-2.20), dyslipidemia (OR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.04-3.62), smoking history (OR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.40-3.17) but less atrial fibrillation (OR, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.13-0.31) than the non-ICAS-O group. About thrombectomy outcomes, ICAS-O had higher intraprocedural reocclusion rate (OR, 23.7; 95% CI, 6.96-80.7), need for rescue balloon angioplasty (OR, 9.49; 95% CI, 4.11-21.9), rescue intracranial stenting (OR, 14.9; 95% CI, 7.64-29.2), and longer puncture-to-reperfusion time (80.8 versus 55.5 minutes, mean difference 21.3; 95% CI, 11.3-31.3). There was no statistical difference in the rate of final recanalization (modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction score of 2b/3; OR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.36-1.27), symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (OR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.50-1.24), good functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale score of 0-2; OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 0.85-1.58), and mortality (OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.64-1.39) between ICAS-O and non-ICAS-O. Conclusions- Patients with ICAS-O display a unique risk factor profile and technical challenges for endovascular reperfusion therapy. Intraprocedural reocclusion occurs in one-third of patients with ICAS-O. Intraarterial glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors infusion, balloon angioplasty, and intracranial stenting may be viable rescue treatment to achieve revascularization, resulting in comparable outcomes to non-ICAS-O.

Background and Purpose—Little is known about the impact of quality of anticoagulation control, as reflected by time in therapeutic range (TTR), on the effectiveness and safety of warfarin therapy in Chinese patients with atrial fibrillation. We investigated the risks of ischemic stroke and intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) in relation to warfarin at various TTRs in a real-world cohort of Chinese patients with atrial fibrillation receiving warfarin and compared with those on dabigatran, aspirin, and no therapy.Methods—This is an observational study.Results—Of 8754 Chinese patients with atrial fibrillation and CHA2DS2-VASc ≥1 (79.5±9.2 years; CHA2DS2-VASc, 4.1±1.5; and Hypertension, Abnormal Renal/Liver Function, Stroke, Bleeding History or Predisposition, Labile International Normalized Ratio, Elderly (>65 years), Drugs/Alcohol Concomitantly [HAS-BLED], 2.2±0.9), 16.3% received warfarin, 41.1% aspirin, 4.5% dabigatran, and 38.1% received no therapy. The incidence of ischemic stroke was highest in patients with no therapy (10.38%/y), followed by patients on aspirin (7.95%/y). The incidence of stroke decreased progressively with increasing TTR quartiles (56.2%) from 7.34%/y (first quartile) to 3.10%/y (fourth quartile). Patients on dabigatran had the lowest incidence of stroke among all groups (2.24%/y). The incidence of ICH was lowest in patients on dabigatran (0.32%/y) compared with those on warfarin (0.90%/y), aspirin (0.80%/y), and no therapy (0.53%/y). ICH incidence decreased with increasing TTR from 1.37%/y (first quartile) to 0.74%/y (fourth quartile).Conclusions—In Chinese patients with atrial fibrillation, the benefits of warfarin therapy for stroke prevention and ICH risk are closely dependent on the quality of anticoagulation, as reflected by TTR. Even at the top TTR quartile, warfarin was associated with a higher stroke and ICH risk than dabigatran.