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Optimized Management of Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke
09:21

Optimized Management of Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke

Published on: January 18, 2018

Stroke prevention: missed opportunities?

A Gupta1, P Thomas

  • 1Department of Medicine, University Hospital, Cardiff, UK.

International Journal of Clinical Practice
|July 26, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Many stroke patients have poorly managed risk factors before hospital admission. This study highlights missed opportunities for stroke prevention due to inadequate identification and control of modifiable risk factors.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Stroke prevention relies on identifying and managing modifiable risk factors.
  • Acute stroke admission presents an opportunity to identify previously unrecognized risk factors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the pre-admission identification and management of modifiable stroke risk factors in patients admitted with acute stroke.
  • To determine the prevalence of new modifiable risk factors discovered post-stroke.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective assessment of 100 consecutive stroke patients admitted to a UK hospital.
  • Evaluation of pre-admission management of identified modifiable risk factors.

Main Results:

  • High rates of unmanaged risk factors including hypertension, diabetes, smoking, atrial fibrillation, and obesity.
  • Effective pre-admission management was documented for only a subset of identified risk factors.
  • Twenty-five new modifiable risk factors were identified after the stroke event.

Conclusions:

  • A significant gap exists between evidence-based stroke prevention guidelines and community practice.
  • Many opportunities for secondary stroke prevention are missed due to poor risk factor control.
  • Improved community-based identification and management of modifiable risk factors are crucial for stroke prevention.

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