Background: Delayed arrival at hospital is one of the major obstacles in enhancing the rate of thrombolysis therapy in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Our study aimed to investigate factors associated with prehospital delay after acute ischemic stroke in Korea. Methods: A prospective, multicenter study was conducted at 14 tertiary hospitals in Korea from March 2009 to July 2009. We interviewed 500 consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke who arrived within 48 hours. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate factors influencing prehospital delay. Results: Among the 500 patients (median 67 years, 62% men), the median time interval from symptom onset to arrival was 474 minutes (interquartile range, 170-1313). Early arrival within 3 hours of symptom onset was significantly associated with the following factors: high National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, previous stroke, atrial fibrillation, use of ambulance, knowledge about thrombolysis and awareness of the patient/bystander that the initial symptom was a stroke. Multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated that awareness of the patient/bystander that the initial symptom was a stroke (OR 4.438, 95% CI 2.669-7.381), knowledge about thrombolysis (OR 2.002, 95% CI 1.104-3.633) and use of ambulance (OR 1.961, 95% CI 1.176-3.270) were significantly associated with early arrival. Conclusions: In Korea, stroke awareness not only on the part of patients, but also of bystanders, had a great impact on early arrival at hospital. To increase the rate of thrombolysis therapy and the incidence of favorable outcomes, extensive general public education including how to recognize stroke symptoms would be important.

Background: It is not yet clear whether nutritional status is associated with post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI). We examined the geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) on the domain-specific cognitive outcomes 3 months after a stroke. Methods: A total of 344 patients with acute ischemic stroke were included for the analysis. The GNRI was calculated as 1.489 × serum albumin (g/L) + 41.7 × admission weight (kg)/ideal body weight (kg) and was dichotomized according to the prespecified cut-off points for no risk and any risks. The primary outcome was PSCI, defined as having adjusted z-scores of less than −2 standard deviations in at least one cognitive domain: executive/activation, memory, visuospatial and language. Multiple logistic regression and linear regression analyses were performed to investigate the association between the GNRI and cognitive outcomes. Results: Seventy (20.3%) patients developed PSCI 3 months after a stroke. The mean GNRI was 106.1 ± 8.6, and 59 (17.2%) patients had low (<98) GNRI scores. A low GNRI was independently associated with the PSCI after adjusting for age, sex, education, initial stroke severity, stroke mechanism and left hemispheric lesion (odds ratio, 2.04; 95% confidence interval, 1.00–4.14). The GNRI scores were also significantly associated with the z-scores from the mini-mental status examination and the frontal domain (β = 0.04, p-value = 0.03; β = 0.03, p-value = 0.03, respectively). Conclusions: A low GNRI was independently associated with the development of PSCI at 3 months after an ischemic stroke. The GNRI scores were specifically associated with the z-scores of the global cognition and frontal domain cognitive outcomes.

The American Stroke Association/American Heart Association recommended the criteria for diagnosis of vascular cognitive impairment and memory impairment (MI) is a feature in the classification of vascular mild cognitive impairment (VaMCI). VaMCI patients with MI may differ in terms of infarct location or demographic features, so we evaluated the clinical characteristics associated with MI in patients with VaMCI. A prospective multicenter study enrolled 353 acute ischemic stroke patients who underwent evaluation using the Korean Vascular Cognitive Impairment Harmonization Standard Neuropsychological Protocol at three months after onset. The association between MI and demographic features, stroke risk factors, and infarct location was assessed. VaMCI was diagnosed in 141 patients, and 58 (41.1%) exhibited MI. Proportions of men and of left side infarcts were higher in VaMCI with MI than those without (75.9 vs. 57.8%, P = 0.03, 66.7 vs. 47%, P = 0.02). Multiple logistic analyses revealed that male sex (odds ratio [OR] 3.07, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.12-8.42), left-side infarcts (OR 3.14, 95% CI 1.37-7.20), and basal ganglia/internal capsule infarcts (OR 4.53, 95% CI 1.55-13.22) were associated with MI after adjusting other demographic variables, vascular risk factors, and subtypes of stroke. MI is associated with sex and infarct location in VaMCI patients.

Background: Post-stroke hyperglycemia is a frequent finding in acute ischemic stroke patients and is associated with poor functional and cognitive outcomes. However, it is unclear as to whether the glycemic gap between the admission glucose and HbA1c-derived estimated average glucose (eAG) is associated with post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI). Methods: We enrolled acute ischemic stroke patients whose cognitive functions were evaluated three months after a stroke using the Korean version of the vascular cognitive impairment harmonization standards neuropsychological protocol (K-VCIHS-NP). The development of PSCI was defined as having z-scores of less than −2 standard deviations in at least one cognitive domain. The participants were categorized into three groups according to the glycemic gap status: non-elevated (initial glucose − eAG ≤ 0 mg/dL), mildly elevated (0 mg/dL < initial glucose − eAG < 50 mg/dL), and severely elevated (50 mg/dL ≤ initial glucose − eAG). Results: A total of 301 patients were enrolled. The mean age was 63.1 years, and the median National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score was two (IQR: 1–4). In total, 65 patients (21.6%) developed PSCI. In multiple logistic regression analyses, the severely elevated glycemic gap was a significant predictor for PSCI after adjusting for age, sex, education level, initial stroke severity, Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST) classification, and left hemispheric lesion (aOR: 3.65, p-value = 0.001). Patients in the severely elevated glycemic gap group showed significantly worse performance in the frontal and memory domains. Conclusions: In conclusion, our study demonstrated that an elevated glycemic gap was significantly associated with PSCI three months after a stroke, with preferential involvement of frontal and memory domain dysfunctions.

Background: We aimed to investigate the association between the ApoB/ApoA-I ratio and post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) in patients with acute stroke of large artery atherosclerosis etiology. Methods: Prospective stroke registry data were used to consecutively enroll patients with acute ischemic stroke due to large artery atherosclerosis. Cognitive function assessments were conducted 3 to 6 months after stroke. PSCI was defined as a z-score of less than −2 standard deviations from age, sex, and education-adjusted means in at least one cognitive domain. The ApoB/ApoA-I ratio was calculated, and patients were categorized into five groups according to quintiles of the ratio. Logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association between quintiles of the ApoB/ApoA-I ratio and PSCI. Results: A total of 263 patients were included, with a mean age of 65.9 ± 11.6 years. The median NIHSS score and ApoB/ApoA-I ratio upon admission were 2 (IQR, 1–5) and 0.81 (IQR, 0.76–0.88), respectively. PSCI was observed in 91 (34.6%) patients. The highest quintile (Q5) of the ApoB/ApoA-I ratio was a significant predictor of PSCI compared to the lowest quintile (Q1) (adjusted OR, 3.16; 95% CI, 1.19–8.41; p-value = 0.021) after adjusting for relevant confounders. Patients in the Q5 group exhibited significantly worse performance in the frontal domain. Conclusions: The ApoB/ApoA-I ratio in the acute stage of stroke independently predicted the development of PSCI at 3–6 months after stroke due to large artery atherosclerosis. Further, a high ApoB/ApoA-I ratio was specifically associated with frontal domain dysfunction.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate whether transfusions and hemoglobin variability affects the outcome of stroke after an acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Methods: We studied consecutive patients with AIS admitted in three tertiary hospitals who received red blood cell (RBC) transfusion (RBCT) during admission. Hemoglobin variability was assessed by minimum, maximum, range, median absolute deviation, and mean absolute change in hemoglobin level. Timing of RBCT was grouped into two categories: admission to 48 h (early) or more than 48 h (late) after hospitalization. Late RBCT was entered into multivariable logistic regression model. Poor outcome at three months was defined as a modified Rankin Scale score ≥3. Results: Of 2698 patients, 132 patients (4.9%) received a median of 400 mL (interquartile range: 400–840 mL) of packed RBCs. One-hundred-and-two patients (77.3%) had poor outcomes. The most common cause of RBCT was gastrointestinal bleeding (27.3%). The type of anemia was not associated with the timing of RBCT. Late RBCT was associated with poor outcome (odd ratio (OR), 3.55; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.43–8.79; p-value = 0.006) in the univariable model. After adjusting for age, sex, Charlson comorbidity index, and stroke severity, late RBCT was a significant predictor (OR, 3.37; 95% CI, 1.14–9.99; p-value = 0.028) of poor outcome at three months. In the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve comparison, addition of hemoglobin variability indices did not improve the performance of the multivariable logistic model. Conclusion: Late RBCT, rather than hemoglobin variability indices, is a predictor for poor outcome in patients with AIS.