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The prompt recognition of an acute neurovascular syndrome by the patient or a bystander witnessing the event can directly influence outcome. We aimed to study the predictive value of the medical history and clinical features recognized by the patients’ bystanders to preclassify acute stroke syndromes in prehospital settings. We analyzed 369 patients: 209 (56.6%) with acute ischemic stroke (AIS), 107 (29.0%) with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and 53 (14.4%) with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). All patients had neuroimaging as diagnostic gold standard. We constructed clinical prediction rules (CPRs) with features recognized by the bystanders witnessing the stroke onset to classify the acute neurovascular syndromes before final arrival to the emergency room (ER). In all, 83.2% cases were referred from other centers, and only 16.8% (17.2% in AIS, 15% in ICH, and 18.9% in SAH) had direct ER arrival. The time to first assessment in ≤ 3 h occurred in 72.4% (73.7%, 73.8%, and 64.2%, respectively), and final ER arrival in ≤ 3 h occurred in 26.8% (32.1%, 15.9%, and 28.3%, respectively). Clinical features referred by witnesses had low positive predictive values (PPVs) for stroke type prediction. Language or speech disorder + focal motor deficit showed 63.3% PPV, and 77.0% negative predictive value (NPV) for predicting AIS. Focal motor deficit + history of hypertension had 35.9% PPV and 78.8% NPV for ICH. Headache alone had 27.9% PPV and 95.3% NPV for SAH. In multivariate analyses, seizures, focal motor deficit, and hypertension increased the probability of a time to first assessment in ≤ 3 h, while obesity was inversely associated. Final ER arrival was determined by age and a direct ER arrival without previous referrals. CPRs constructed with the witnesses’ narrative had only adequate NPVs in the prehospital classification of acute neurovascular syndromes, before neuroimaging confirmation.

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a systemic illness that implies neurological features and complications. Persistent (>48 hours) hiccups (ie, singultus or hiccoughs) have been recently described as a rare presentation of COVID-19. Even when considered benign, the frequency and duration of hiccup spells can be burdensome and sometimes difficult to treat. Case presentation We report the case of a 62-year-old man known by the treating physicians for vascular cognitive impairment, who consulted for progressive persistent hiccups that commenced 5 days earlier, about 24 hours after testing positive for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The patient could barely sleep because the hiccups reached the highest rate of 47 per minute in a spell lasting almost 72 hours. The patient initially received levomepromazine 25 mg by mouth, but sedation and delirium impeded the continuation of treatment, which only reduced the frequency of the hiccup spells by about 25%. Afterward, the patient was offered levosulpiride 25 mg thrice a day by mouth, resulting in a steady reduction in the hiccups rate, as well as the duration and daily frequency of spells, which disappeared after 3 days of levosulpiride treatment. COVID-19 pneumonia was moderate by chest computed tomography scan imaging and biomarkers, meriting continuous oxygen therapy, dexamethasone 6 mg once a day by mouth for 10 days, and enoxaparin 40 mg once a day, subcutaneously, for 7 days (due to elevated D-dimer serum concentration). Oxygen therapy was gradually withdrawn after 12 days. Conclusions Oral levosulpiride is a suitable option in persistent hiccups that occur in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. To our knowledge, this is the fourth published case of persistent hiccups as a clinical feature of COVID-19.

BACKGROUND The recognition of stroke symptoms by patients or bystanders directly affects the outcomes of patients with acute cerebrovascular disease. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to assess the predictive value of the medical his- tory and clinical features recognized by the patients' bystanders to classify neurovascular syndromes in pre-hospital settings. METHODS We included 150 stroke patients of two Mexican referral centers: 50 with acute ischemic stroke (AIS), 50 with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and 50 with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). The performance of clinical prediction rules (CPR) to identify the stroke types was evaluated with features recognized by the patients' bystanders before hospital arrival. The impact of CPRs on early arrival and in-hospital mortality was also analyzed. RESULTS Overall, 72% of the patients had previous medical evaluations in other centers before final referral to our hospitals, and therefore, only 45% had a final onset- to-door time

IntroductionPatients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection may develop coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Risk factors associated with death vary among countries with different ethnic backgrounds. We aimed to describe the factors associated with death in Mexicans with confirmed COVID-19.Material and methodsWe analysed the Mexican Ministry of Health’s official database on people tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection by real-time reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (rtRT-PCR) of nasopharyngeal fluids. Bivariate analyses were performed to select characteristics potentially associated with death, to integrate a Cox-proportional hazards model.ResultsAs of May 18, 2020, a total of 177,133 persons (90,586 men and 86,551 women) in Mexico received rtRT-PCR testing for SARS-CoV-2. There were 5332 deaths among the 51,633 rtRT-PCR-confirmed cases (10.33%, 95% CI: 10.07–10.59%). The median time (interquartile range, IQR) from symptoms onset to death was nine days (5–13 days), and from hospital admission to death 4 days (2–8 days). The analysis by age groups revealed that the significant risk of death started gradually at the age of 40 years. Independent death risk factors were obesity, hypertension, male sex, indigenous ethnicity, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, immunosuppression, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, age > 40 years, and the need for invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). Only 1959 (3.8%) cases received IVM, of whom 1893 were admitted to the intensive care unit (96.6% of those who received IMV).ConclusionsIn Mexico, highly prevalent chronic diseases are risk factors for death among persons with COVID-19. Indigenous ethnicity is a poorly studied factor that needs more investigation.

espanolIntroduccion: La enfermedad carotidea aterosclerosa (ECA) es un factor de riesgo importante para enfermedad vascular cerebral. Objetivo: Analizar la asociacion entre factores de riesgo vascular mayores con ECA y leucopatia cerebral en pacientes sin historia de ictus isquemico. Metodo: Se evaluaron factores de riesgo en sujetos con exploracion de carotidas mediante ultrasonografia Doppler duplex. No se incluyeron casos con historia de infarto cerebral o ataque isquemico transitorio. Los sujetos contaron con resonancia magnetica cerebral y se excluyeron aquellos con lesiones isquemicas de grandes vasos. Se construyeron modelos multivariable para la prediccion de ECA, estenosis carotidea significativa, carga de ateromas y leucopatia cerebral. Resultados: Se estudiaron 145 sujetos (60.7 % mujeres, edad de 73 anos). Se documento ECA en 54.5 %, estenosis carotidea ≥ 50 % en 9 %, carga de placas de ateroma > 6 en 7.6 % y leucopatia periventricular o subcortical en 28.3 % (20.6 % tenian concurrentemente ECA y leucopatia). Los factores asociados independientemente con ECA fueron edad e hipertension; con estenosis ≥ 50 %, hipertension; con cargas de ateromas > 6 placas, edad; con leucopatia, edad, diabetes e hipertension. La obesidad no se asocio con las variables independientes analizadas. Conclusiones: En los sujetos asintomaticos sin historia de ictus isquemico, la edad y la hipertension fueron los factores de riesgo mas importantes para enfermedad macrovascular. La diabetes mellitus se asocio con enfermedad microvascular. La obesidad por si sola no fue un determinante mayor de ECA o leucopatia cerebral. EnglishIntroduction: Atherosclerotic carotid artery disease (CAD) is a major risk factor for cerebrovascular disease. Objective: To analyze the association of major vascular risk factors with atherosclerotic CAD and white matter disease (WMD) in patients without a history of ischemic stroke. Method: Risk factors were assessed with carotid examination using Doppler duplex ultrasound. Cases with a history cerebral infarction or transient ischemic attack were not included. Subjects had brain magnetic resonance imaging scans available and those with large-artery ischemic lesions were excluded. Multivariate models were constructed for the prediction of atherosclerotic CAD, significant carotid stenosis, atheroma burden and WMD. Results: One-hundred and forty-five subjects were assessed (60.7% were females, mean age was 73 years). Atherosclerotic CAD was documented in 54.5%, carotid stenosis ≥ 50% in 9.0%, > 6 atheroma plaques in 7.6%, and periventricular or subcortical WMD in 28.3% (20.6% had atherosclerotic CAD and WMD concurrently). Risk factors independently associated with atherosclerotic CAD were age and hypertension; hypertension was associated with ≥ 50% carotid stenosis; age was associated with > 6 atheroma plaques; and age, diabetes and hypertension were associated with WMD. Obesity was not associated with any of the analyzed independent variables. Conclusions: In asymptomatic subjects without a history of ischemic stroke, age and hypertension were the most important risk factors for macrovascular disease. Diabetes mellitus was associated with microvascular disease. Obesity alone was not a major determinant of CAD or WMD.