International Stroke Conference
January 24–26
Alexis N. Simpkins, MD, PhD
Session: Acute Ischemic Stroke Guidelines
Date: Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Speakers: William Powers, MD, FAHA, University of North Carolina; Opeolu Adeoya, MD, University of Cincinnati; Alejandro Rabinstein, MD, Mayo Clinic; Thabele Leslie-Mazwi, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital
The new American Heart Association acute ischemic stroke guidelines were presented at the 2018 International Stroke Conference in Los Angeles. There were several new notable recommendations and updates, which are now published. Some of the updates emphasized during the presentation addressed mild stroke symptoms in the 3-4.5 hour time window for intravenous alteplase, indications for tenecteplase, risk of intracerebral hemorrhage with intravenous thrombolysis in patients with cerebral microbleeds, anti-thrombotic use within 24 hours of intravenous thrombolysis, triage of patients in the field by EMS to tPA capable versus tPA/mechanical thrombectomy capable hospitals, and tPA eligibility in adult patients with sickle cell disease.
In addition to incorporation of the recent clinical trials DAWN and DEFUSE 3, the revised mechanical thrombectomy recommendations also addressed whether testing renal function should be required prior to CT contrast administration, differentiating when perfusion imaging should be considered for patient selection for mechanical thrombectomy, and the use of general anesthesia during mechanical thrombectomy. Of note, specific recommendations for the type of methodology that should be used for volumetric measurements when selecting patients by DEFUSE 3 or DAWN criteria was not included in the guidelines.
There were also updates on management of stroke patients regarding evidence for diagnostic testing, the prevention of venous thromboembolism, dysphagia screening, and timing of interventions needed to address carotid artery stenosis for secondary stroke prevention.
After the presentation, I was able to briefly talk to the chair of the committee, William Powers, MD, FAHA, University of North Carolina, who emphasized that the goal of the guidelines was to provide recommendations backed by evidence proven to improve clinical outcome in patients.
Good work!
Thanks. I hope it was helpful.
I am still going through the details but this blog post nicely summarizes some of the major features of the new guidelines. Guidelines are based on strong evidences, hence many important questions remain unanswered in the absence of supporting evidence. One question is extension of IV thrombolysis for 3-4.5 h window to patients > 80.
It will be interesting to see if clinical practice will change regarding the use of Tenecteplase.
Great synopsis
Thanks. I hope it was helpful.
It’s great to hear about the continued advancements in stroke treatment and the more precise guidance that the more recent studies offer. I bet it was quite a useful session!!
It has stimulated discussion. It will be interesting to follow the trends in clinical practice moving forward.
The session engaged the audience and stimulated a robust discussion. The question and answer sessions for the guidelines were full.