Deep vein thrombosis in patients with stroke

A frequent condition affecting patients with stroke is venous thromboembolism (VTE), which consists of two components: deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism as its complication The main risk factors of VTE are: age over 65 years, motor deficit with immobilisation, heart failure, infection, obesity and coagulopathy Typical symptoms of deep vein thrombosis (pain, tenderness, swelling of calf and increased skin temperature) can be masked by sensory and autonomic deficits following brain ischaemia Diagnosis of VTE is based on clinical symptoms confirmed by biochemical and radiological findings The treatment of VTE consists of anticoagulation; prevention of VTE in stroke patients is based on use of low-molecular heparins and non-pharmacological methods.     

关节置换后的深静脉血栓形成

背景：关节置换后形成深静脉血栓发病的概率为40%~60%,而深静脉血栓容易出现肺栓塞并发症而危及生命,死亡率高达20%~30%。 目的：对骨科关节置换后下肢深静脉血栓形成的病因与治疗及并发症肺栓塞的治疗进展进行阐述。 方法：以“关节置换,静脉栓塞,肺栓塞,病因,预防,治疗”为关键词应用计算机检索2000/2010万方数据库和中国期刊全文数据库。 结果与结论：关节置换后下肢深部静脉血栓形成的病因及发病机制有着多方面的因素,深静脉血管壁损伤,血流缓慢和高凝状态是静脉血栓形成的3个因素。患者的全身状况差,合并其他疾病,关节置换手术创伤,手术麻醉方法,手术时间延长,肢体固定以及长期卧床都是下肢深静脉血栓形成的高危因素。下肢深静脉栓塞和肺栓塞是导致关节置换后患者高致残率和高死亡率的主要原因。临床医生应于术前对关节置换患者形成深静脉血栓的危险因素进行系统评估,并采取相应措施,最大限度降低其发生率。     

Deep vein thrombosis after elective cesarean section

INTRODUCTION: Pregnancy is associated with an overall 5-10 fold increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). The absolute risk is highest during and shortly after delivery. Although operative delivery further increases the risk of VTE, there is no consensus on thromboprophylaxis after an elective cesarean. The aim of the present study was to investigate the frequency of symptomatic and asymptomatic deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in a low risk cesarean section population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-nine women undergoing elective cesarean section were screened for DVT using triplex Doppler sonography 3-5 days after delivery. Markers of activated coagulation were also followed and all women were screened for thrombophilia. Postoperative thromboprophylaxis was not given. During the same period all cases of symptomatic VTE were also recorded. RESULTS: No DVT was detected by ultrasonography and no women developed symptomatic VTE during the six weeks follow-up period after delivery. Six women had thrombophilia. During the study period, a cesarean section was performed in 1067/5364 (20%) deliveries. Five of these women (0.47%) developed symptomatic pulmonary embolism, and all of these women had additional risk factors for VTE. CONCLUSION: The risk of DVT among healthy pregnant women undergoing elective cesarean section is low, and general medical thromboprophylaxis is probably not justified.     

Pathogenic mechanisms following ischemic stroke

Stroke is the second most common cause of death and the leading cause of disability worldwide. Brain injury following stroke results from a complex series of pathophysiological events including excitotoxicity, oxidative and nitrative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis. Moreover, there is a mechanistic link between brain ischemia, innate and adaptive immune cells, intracranial atherosclerosis, and also the gut microbiota in modifying the cerebral responses to ischemic insult. There are very few treatments for stroke injuries, partly owing to an incomplete understanding of the diverse cellular and molecular changes that occur following ischemic stroke and that are responsible for neuronal death. Experimental discoveries have begun to define the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in stroke injury, leading to the development of numerous agents that target various injury pathways. In the present article, we review the underlying pathophysiology of ischemic stroke and reveal the intertwined pathways that are promising therapeutic targets.     

Depressive symptoms following ischemic stroke

Depressed mood and other depressive symptoms frequently seen after cerebral stroke contribute to an unfavorable prognosis in this patient population. Identification of the subgroup of patients at increased risk for depressive symptoms is a prerequisite of early treatment. In the study aimed at evaluation of post-stroke depressive symptoms prevalence and risk factors participants were 766 consecutive patients with ischemic cerebral infarction, admitted in the years 1997-2000 to the Stroke Unit, Neurology Department in Cracow. Data concerning depressive symptoms, demographic characteristics and clinical variables were obtained from medical records. Depressive symptoms during the hospitalization were found in 19% of cases. Younger age, neurological deficits and previous history of psychiatric disorders were independent factors increasing the risk of post-stroke depressive symptoms. The study allowed to identify the subpopulation of stroke patients at risk for affective disorders following a cerebrovascular accident.     

Complications following acute ischemic stroke

The objective of this study was to assess typical early-onset complications following ischemic stroke in a large, hospital-based cohort to provide clinical data for future randomized trials and quality standards in clinical routine. 3,866 patients with acute ischemic stroke were prospectively documented in 14 Neurology Departments with an acute stroke unit. Within the first week after admission, increased intracranial pressure (7.6%) and recurrent cerebral ischemia (5.1%) were the most frequent neurological complications. Fever >38 degrees C (13.2%), severe arterial hypertension (7.5%) and pneumonia (7.4%) were the most frequent medical complications. Multivariate regression analysis yielded brain stem infarction and large-artery atherosclerosis as independent predictors for early recurrent ischemic stroke. This study provides representative data on onset and severity of early neurological and medical complications as well as possible predictors for early recurrent cerebral ischemia following acute ischemic stroke.     

Angiotensinogen gene polymorphism and ischemic stroke in East Asians A meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between angiotensinogen gene M235T polymorphism and ischemic stroke in East Asians. DATA RETRIEVAL: A computer-based online search was conducted in PubMed, Google scholar, China National Knowledge lnfrastructure database between January 1990 and April 2012 for relevant studies. The were angiotensinogen or AGT, polymorphism or genetic and ischemic stroke or cerebral infarction. SELECTION CRITERIA: Case-controlled studies addressing the correlation between angiotensinogen gene M235T polymorphism and ischemic stroke in East Asians were included. The distribution of genotypes in the included studies was tested for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Quality evaluation of the included studies was conducted by two physicians. Statistical analyses were carried out using Stata 12.0 software for meta-analysis. Heterogeneity tests, sensitivity analysis and publication bias were also conducted. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The association between angiotensinogen gene M235T polymorphism and ischemic stroke risk in East Asians was assessed. RESULTS: Six relevant studies involving 891 patients with ischemic stroke and 727 controls were included in this meta-analysis. Results showed that there was a significant association between angiotensinogen gene M235T polymorphism and the risk of ischemic stroke in East Asians (T vs. M: odds ratio (OR) = 1.54, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.10-2.16; TT vs. MM: OR = 2.24, 95%CI = 1.37-3.66; TT vs. MT: OR = 1.76, 95%CI = 1.41-2.20; MM + MT vs. TT: OR = 0.57, 95%CI = 0.46-0.70). Sensitivity analysis confirmed that the study results were stable and reliable, with no publication bias. CONCLUSION: The angiotensinogen gene M235T polymorphism is associated with ischemic stroke in East Asians, and the TT genotype and T allele are risk factors for ischemic stroke.     

Effects of low-dose subcutaneous heparin on the occurrence of deep vein thrombosis in patients with ischemic stroke

The effectiveness of low-dose subcutaneous heparin in the prophylaxis of deep vein thrombosis in patients with ischemic stroke was investigated in an unblinded controlled study. The frequency of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in the control group was 23% versus 2% in the patients receiving heparin. There were no bleeding complications in the test group and there were no differences in the occurrence of hemorrhage changes in the cerebral ischemic infarction in both groups.     

人工关节置换后的深静脉血栓形成

目的：探讨深静脉血栓形成的病因及预防诊疗情况。 方法：应用计算机检索维普数据库与人工关节置换后深静脉血栓形成及预防有关的文献。检索时限为1998-01/2009-10。检索关键词：深静脉血栓形成;病因;诊断;预防。对资料进行初审,并查看每篇文献后的引文,共入选相关文献26篇。 结果：关节置换后深静脉血栓与年龄、性别、癌症病史、既往深静脉血栓病史、肥胖指数、麻醉术式、骨水泥因素、手术及创伤等多种因素有关,预防血栓除卧床休息,抬高患肢等一般治疗外,还需采用抗凝、溶栓和手术取栓等多种方法治疗。现多提倡联合应用2种或3种方法来预防深静脉血栓的发生。 结论：早期深静脉血栓监测以及系统性抗凝预防深静脉血栓非常重要。目前仍然没有一种药物(或联合应用)能够完美解决人工关节置换后深静脉血栓的问题,最佳药品及用药方式仍需要进一步研究。     

Deep vein thrombosis in patients with chronic kidney disease

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a poorly understood complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The objective of our analysis was to profile DVT patients with and without CKD. We defined CKD as patients requiring dialysis or patients having nephrotic syndrome. We compared 268 patients with CKD (184 patients with dialysis-dependent renal disease and 84 with nephrotic syndrome) to 4,307 patients with preserved renal function from a prospective United States multicenter deep venous thrombosis (DVT) registry. Compared with non-CKD patients, CKD patients with DVT were younger (median age 62 vs. 69 years, p < 0.0001), more often African-American (p < 0.0001), and more often Hispanic (p = 0.0003). CKD patients underwent surgery more frequently in the three months prior to developing DVT (48.9% vs. 39.0%, p = 0.001) and more often had concomitant congestive heart failure (20.9% vs. 14.6%, p = 0.005). CKD patients suffered upper extremity DVT more frequently (30.0% vs. 10.8%, p < 0.0001). Patients with CKD presented less often with typical DVT symptoms of extremity discomfort (42.9% vs. 52.4%, p = 0.003) and difficulty ambulating (5.4% vs. 10.1%, p = 0.01). Prophylaxis rates prior to DVT were similarly low in CKD and non-CKD patients (44.2% vs. 38.0%, p = 0.06). Future studies of DVT in CKD patients should explore novel strategies for improving prophylaxis utilization and the detection of DVT in this special population.     

Spontaneous thrombosis of cerebral aneurysms presenting with ischemic stroke

Complete spontaneous thrombosis of an unruptured cerebral aneurysm is a rare event that can be discovered incidentally on advanced neuroradiologic studies. Occasionally, this phenomenon may be symptomatic and can present as an ischemic stroke. The presumed mechanism is probably due to extension of the thrombi to the parent vessel, embolization of intra-aneurysmatic thrombi to distal arteries or arterial compression due to increased aneurysm mass effect. We present documented cases of this unusual entity and review the literature.     

Independent walking after neonatal arterial ischemic stroke and sinovenous thrombosis

Few studies have examined walking after neonatal arterial ischemic stroke and sinovenous thrombosis. We looked at the development of walking in a retrospective and consecutive cohort study of 88 term and near-term neonates. We used Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazards models to assess (1) sex, (2) stroke type (arterial ischemic stroke or sinovenous thrombosis), (3) number of cerebral hemispheres with infarction, and (4) presence of neonatal comorbidity as predictors of the probability over time of starting to walk independently. These variables were assessed as predictors of parent-reported gait normality using the chi-square test on 2 x 2 contingency tables. Seventy-five of 83 survivors (90.4%, 95% confidence interval = 81.9-95.7) walked with a median time of first steps at 13 months of age (95% confidence interval = 12-14). Only bilateral strokes were associated with a lower probability over time of initiating independent walking (hazard ratio = 0.41, P = .04). Parents reported normal gait for 58 of 75 walkers (77.3%, 95% confidence interval = 67.8-86.8). No variables predicted parent-reported gait normality. Our findings suggest that most survivors of neonatal arterial ischemic stroke and sinovenous thrombosis walk with a gait that appears normal to parents, but bilateral infarctions decrease the probability over time of starting to walk independently.     

Neonatal arterial ischemic stroke and sinovenous thrombosis associated with meningitis

This series describes 5 neonates with meningitis associated with arterial ischemic stroke or cerebral sinovenous thrombosis identified from a tertiary children's hospital perinatal stroke database. A retrospective chart review was performed to collect data on clinical presentations, type of meningitis, radiographic and electroencephalographic findings, neonatal intensive care unit course and complications, additional risk factors associated with stroke, and outcomes. The proportion of arterial ischemic stroke and sinovenous thrombosis in the database associated with meningitis was calculated. Neonates came to medical attention because of seizures (2), hydrocephalus (1), and behavior changes (2). The median age of presentation was birth (range, 0-18 days). Meningitis was bacterial in 4 and viral in 1. The median time from symptom onset to identification of the causative organisms of meningitis was 16.8 days (range, 13-23 days) and from symptom onset to diagnosis of stroke was 11 days (range, 4-18 days). One child had arterial ischemic stroke. Four had cerebral sinovenous thrombosis. One child died in the neonatal intensive care unit. Outcome data were available for 3 of the 4 surviving children; all had some degree of neurological deficit. All 5 of the neonates described had risk factors for perinatal thrombosis or embolization in addition to meningitis. Meningitis is associated with 1.6% (1/63) of cases of arterial ischemic stroke and 7.7% (4/52) of cases of cerebral sinovenous thrombosis in our perinatal stroke database. Further work is needed to clarify when infarction occurs during meningitis and which children are at highest risk.     

Fatal brainstem stroke following internal jugular vein catheterization

Neurologic complications of central venous catheterization are uncommon, and there are no reports of cerebrovascular events. We report a case of massive postoperative vertebrobasilar territory stroke following internal jugular vein cannulation due to inadvertent vertebral artery injury. Autopsy revealed thrombosis at the site of puncture wound in the right vertebral artery, with emboli present in the distal basilar artery.