Avenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (IV rt-PA) and EVT of acute ischemic stroke, and identified risk factors for END. Methods: Medical records of patients who received recanalization treatment between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2015 were reviewed. Patients were classified into IV rt-PA or EVT group according to the methods of recanalization treatment. The END was defined as an increase in the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) ≥4 or an increase in Ia of NIHSS ≥1 within 72 h after recanalization treatment. Clinical data were compared between the END and non-END subgroups within each recanalization group. Results: Of the 278 patients included in the study, the incidence of END was 34.2%. The incidence rates of END were 29.8% in the IV rt-PA group and 40.2% in the EVT group. Ischemia progression (68.4%) was the main contributor to END followed by vasogenic cerebral edema (21.1%) and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (10.5%). Multivariate logistic regression showed that admission systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥160 mmHg (odds ratio [OR]: 2.312, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.105–4.837) and large artery occlusion after IV rt-PA (OR: 3.628, 95% CI: 1.482–8.881) independently predicted END after IV rt-PA; and admission SBP ≥140 mmHg (OR: 5.183, 95% CI: 1.967–13.661), partial recanalization (OR: 4.791, 95% CI: 1.749–13.121), and nonrecanalization (OR: 5.952, 95% CI: 1.841–19.243) independently predicted END after EVT. The mortality rate and grave outcome rate at discharge of all the END patients (26.3% and 55.8%) were higher than those of all the non-END patients (1.1% and 18.6%; P < 0.01). Conclusions: END was not an uncommon event and associated with death and grave outcome at discharge. High admission SBP and unsatisfactory recanalization of occluded arteries might predict END....

Background: The brain death confirmation tests occupy a different position in each country's diagnostic criteria (or guideline); the choices of tests are also different. China brain death criteria include clinical judgment and confirmation tests. This study aimed to confirm the preferred confirmatory test and complementary confirmatory tests. Methods: We did a clinical brain death determination on deep coma patients, and then divided them into brain death group and non-brain death group. According to the Chinese standards for determining brain death, both the groups accepted confirmatory tests including electroencephalograph (EEG), somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP), and transcranial Doppler (TCD). The sensitivity, specificity, false positive rate, and false negative rate were calculated to evaluate the accuracy of the confirmatory tests. Results: Among the 131 cases of patients, 103 patients met the clinical criteria of brain death. Respiratory arrest provocation test was performed on 44 cases and 32 cases (73%) successfully completed and confirmed that they have no spontaneous breathing. Of the three confirmation tests, EEG had the highest completion rate (98%) and good sensitivity (83%) and specificity (97%); TCD had followed completion rate (54%) and not good sensitivity (73%) and specificity (75%); SEP had the lowest completion rate (49%), good sensitivity (100%), and not good specificity (78%). After the combination of SEP or TCD with EEG, the specificity can increase to 100%. Conclusions: The completion rate of respiratory arrest provocation test remains a problem in the clinical diagnosis of brain death. If the test cannot be completed, whether to increase a confirmatory test is debatable. SEP had an ideal sensitivity, and the specificity will reach 100% after combining with TCD or EEG. When a confirmed test was uncertain, we suggest increasing another confirmatory test.

Objective. To test the value of quantifiable electrical stimuli as a reliable method to assess electroencephalogram reactivity (EEG‐R) for the early prognostication of outcome in comatose patients. Methods. EEG was recorded in consecutive adults in coma after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or stroke. EEG‐R to standard electrical stimuli was tested. Each patient received a 3‐month follow‐up by the Glasgow‐Pittsburgh cerebral performance categories (CPC) or modified Rankin scale (mRS) score. Results. Twenty‐two patients met the inclusion criteria. In the CPR group, 6 of 7 patients with EEG‐R had good outcomes (positive predictive value (PPV), 85.7%) and 4 of 5 patients without EEG‐R had poor outcomes (negative predictive value (NPV), 80%). The sensitivity and specificity were 85.7% and 80%, respectively. In the stroke group, 6 of 7 patients with EEG‐R had good outcomes (PPV, 85.7%); all of the 3 patients without EEG‐R had poor outcomes (NPV, 100%). The sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 75%, respectively. Of all patients, the presence of EEG‐R showed 92.3% sensitivity, 77.7% specificity, 85.7% PPV, and 87.5% NPV. Conclusion. EEG‐R to quantifiable electrical stimuli might be a good positive predictive factor for the prognosis of outcome in comatose patients after CPR or stroke.