Search

Background: We aimed to validate three widely used scales in stroke research in a multiethnic Brazilian population. Methods: The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and Barthel Index (BI) were translated, culturally adapted and applied by two independent investigators. The mRS was applied with or without a previously validated structured interview. Interobserver agreement (kappa statistics) and intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated. Results: 84 patients underwent mRS (56 with and 28 without a structured interview), 57 BI and 62 NIHSS scoring. Intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.902 for NIHSS and 0.967 for BI. For BI, interobserver agreement was good (kappa = 0.70). For mRS, the structured interview improved interobserver agreement (kappa = 0.34 without a structured interview; 0.75 with a structured interview). Conclusion: The NIHSS, BI and mRS show good validity when translated and culturally adapted. Using a structured interview for the mRS improves interobserver concordance rates. Copyright © 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is very common in acute stroke patients and has been related to poor outcome. However, there is a lack of data about the association between SDB and stroke in developing countries. The study aims to characterize the frequency and severity of SDB in Brazilian patients during the acute phase of ischemic stroke; to identify clinical and laboratorial data related to SDB in those patients; and to assess the relationship between sleep apnea and functional outcome after six months of stroke.Methods: Clinical data and laboratorial tests were collected at hospital admission. The polysomnography was performed on the first night after stroke symptoms onset. Functional outcome was assessed by the modified Rankin Scale (mRS).Results: We prospectively evaluated 69 patients with their first-ever acute ischemic stroke. The mean apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was 37.7 ± 30.2. Fifty-three patients (76.8%) exhibited an AHI ≥ 10 with predominantly obstructive respiratory events (90.6%), and thirty-three (47.8%) had severe sleep apnea. Age (OR: 1.09; 95% CI: 1.03-1.15; p= 0.004) and hematocrit (OR: 1.18; 95% CI: 1.03-1.34; p= 0.01) were independent predictors of sleep apnea. Age (OR: 1.13; 95% CI: 1.03-1.24; p= 0.01), body mass index (OR: 1.54; 95% CI: 1.54-2.18; p= 0.01), and hematocrit (OR: 1.19; 95% CI: 1.01-1.40; p= 0.04) were independent predictors of severe sleep apnea. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS; OR: 1.30; 95% CI: 1.1-1.5; p= 0.001) and severe sleep apnea (OR: 9.7; 95% CI: 1.3-73.8; p= 0.03) were independently associated to mRS >2 at six months, after adjusting for confounders.Conclusion: Patients with acute ischemic stroke in Brazil have a high frequency of SDB. Severe sleep apnea is associated with a poor long-term functional outcome following stroke in that population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The subjective visual vertical (SVV) is a perception often impaired in patients with neurologic disorders and is considered a sensitive tool to detect otolithic dysfunctions. However, it remains unclear whether the semicircular canals (SCCs) are also involved in the visual vertical perception. Objective. The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of horizontal SCCs on SVV by caloric stimulation in healthy subjects. Methods. SVV was performed before and during the ice-cold caloric stimulation (4°C, right ear) in 30 healthy subjects. Results. The mean SVV tilts before and during the caloric stimulation were 0.31° ± 0.39 and −0.28° ± 0.40, respectively. There was no significant difference between the mean SVV tilts before and during stimulation p=0.113. Conclusion. These results suggest that horizontal SCCs do not influence SVV. Therefore, investigations and rehabilitation approaches for SVV misperceptions should be focused on otolithic and cognitive strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Access to acute stroke unit (ASU) care is known to vary worldwide. We aimed to quantify regional variations in the various components of ASU care., Method: Secondary analysis of the Head Positioning in acute Stroke Trial (HeadPoST), an international, multicentre, cluster crossover trial of head-up versus head-down positioning in 11,093 acute stroke patients at 114 hospitals in 9 countries. Patients characteristics and 11 standard components of processes of care were described according to ASU admission within and across four economically-defined regional groups (Australia/UK, China [includes Taiwan], India/Sri Lanka, and South America [Brazil/Chile/Colombia]). Variations in process of ASU care estimates were obtained in hierarchical mixed models, with adjustment for study design and potential patient- and hospital-level confounders., Results: Of 11,086 patients included in analyses, 59.7% (n = 6620) had an ASU admission. In China, India/Sri Lanka and South America, ASU patients were older, had greater neurological severity and more premorbid conditions than non-ASU patients. ASU patients were more likely to receive reperfusion therapy and multidisciplinary care within regions, but the components of care varied across regions. With Australia/UK as reference, patients in other regions had a lower probability of receiving reperfusion therapy, especially in India/Sri Lanka (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.27, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.12-0.63) and multidisciplinary care (mainly in formal dysphagia assessment, physiotherapy and occupational therapy)., Conclusion: There is significant variation in the components of stroke care across economically-defined regions of the world. Ongoing efforts are required to reduce disparities and optimise health outcomes, especially in resource poor areas., Clinical Trial Registration: HeadPoST is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02162017)., (Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Systolic blood pressure of more than 185 mm Hg is a contraindication to thrombolytic treatment with intravenous alteplase in patients with acute ischaemic stroke, but the target systolic blood pressure for optimal outcome is uncertain. We assessed intensive blood pressure lowering compared with guideline-recommended blood pressure lowering in patients treated with alteplase for acute ischaemic stroke., Methods: We did an international, partial-factorial, open-label, blinded-endpoint trial of thrombolysis-eligible patients (age ≥18 years) with acute ischaemic stroke and systolic blood pressure 150 mm Hg or more, who were screened at 110 sites in 15 countries. Eligible patients were randomly assigned (1:1, by means of a central, web-based program) within 6 h of stroke onset to receive intensive (target systolic blood pressure 130-140 mm Hg within 1 h) or guideline (target systolic blood pressure <180 mm Hg) blood pressure lowering treatment over 72 h. The primary outcome was functional status at 90 days measured by shift in modified Rankin scale scores, analysed with unadjusted ordinal logistic regression. The key safety outcome was any intracranial haemorrhage. Primary and safety outcome assessments were done in a blinded manner. Analyses were done on intention-to-treat basis. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01422616., Findings: Between March 3, 2012, and April 30, 2018, 2227 patients were randomly allocated to treatment groups. After exclusion of 31 patients because of missing consent or mistaken or duplicate randomisation, 2196 alteplase-eligible patients with acute ischaemic stroke were included: 1081 in the intensive group and 1115 in the guideline group, with 1466 (67·4%) administered a standard dose among the 2175 actually given intravenous alteplase. Median time from stroke onset to randomisation was 3·3 h (IQR 2·6-4·1). Mean systolic blood pressure over 24 h was 144·3 mm Hg (SD 10·2) in the intensive group and 149·8 mm Hg (12·0) in the guideline group (p<0·0001). Primary outcome data were available for 1072 patients in the intensive group and 1108 in the guideline group. Functional status (mRS score distribution) at 90 days did not differ between groups (unadjusted odds ratio [OR] 1·01, 95% CI 0·87-1·17, p=0·8702). Fewer patients in the intensive group (160 [14·8%] of 1081) than in the guideline group (209 [18·7%] of 1115) had any intracranial haemorrhage (OR 0·75, 0·60-0·94, p=0·0137). The number of patients with any serious adverse event did not differ significantly between the intensive group (210 [19·4%] of 1081) and the guideline group (245 [22·0%] of 1115; OR 0·86, 0·70-1·05, p=0·1412). There was no evidence of an interaction of intensive blood pressure lowering with dose (low vs standard) of alteplase with regard to the primary outcome., Interpretation: Although intensive blood pressure lowering is safe, the observed reduction in intracranial haemorrhage did not lead to improved clinical outcome compared with guideline treatment. These results might not support a major shift towards this treatment being applied in those receiving alteplase for mild-to-moderate acute ischaemic stroke. Further research is required to define the underlying mechanisms of benefit and harm resulting from early intensive blood pressure lowering in this patient group., Funding: National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia; UK Stroke Association; Ministry of Health and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development of Brazil; Ministry for Health, Welfare, and Family Affairs of South Korea; Takeda., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The modified Rankin Scale (mRS) is a commonly used scale to assess the functional outcome after stroke. Several studies on mRS showed good reliability, feasibility, and interrater agreement of this scale using a face-to-face assessment. However, telephone assessment is a more time-efficient way to obtain an mRS grade than a face-to-face interview. The aim of this study was to validate the telephone assessment of mRS among the Portuguese using a structured interview in a sample of Brazilian stroke patients., Methods: We evaluated 50 stroke outpatients twice. The first interview was face-to-face and the second was made by telephone and the time between the two assessments ranged between 7 and 14 days. Four certified raters evaluated the patients using a structured interview based on a questionnaire previously published in the literature. Raters were blinded for the Rankin score given by the other rater. For both assessments, the rater could also interview a caregiver if necessary., Results: The patients' mean age was 62.8 ± 14.7, mean number of years of study 5.2 ± 3.4, 52% were males, 55.2% of patients needed a caregiver's help to answer the questions. The majority of caregivers were female (85%), mean age 49.1 ± 15, and mean number of years of study 8.3 ± 3.4. Perfect agreement between the telephone and face-to-face assessments was obtained for 27 (54%) patients, corresponding to an unweighted Kappa of 0.44 (95% CI 0.27-0.61) and a weighted Kappa of 0.89. The median of telephone assessment mRS was 3.5 (interquartile range = 2-4) and of face-to-face assessment was 4 (interquartile range = 2-5). There was no difference between the two assessments (Wilcoxon test, p = 0.35)., Conclusions: Despite the low education level of our sample, the telephone assessment of functional impairment of stroke patients using a translated and culturally adapted Brazilian Portuguese version of the mRS showed good validity and reliability. Therefore, the telephone assessment of mRS can be used in clinical practice and scientific studies in Brazil., (© 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.)