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Updated: Jul 11, 2026
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Optimized Management of Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke
Published on: January 18, 2018
Modest improvement in risk factor control after admission for a stroke or transient ischemic attack
Eric M Cheng1, Desmond Jolly, Lesley A Jones
1West Los Angeles Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Summary
Secondary stroke prevention requires controlling risk factors. Post-stroke, modest improvements were seen in blood pressure and hemoglobin A1c, but many patients still need better risk factor management.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Neurology
- Public Health
Background:
- Secondary stroke prevention guidelines emphasize risk factor control.
- Limited research exists on the effectiveness of risk factor management in post-stroke populations.
- This study investigates risk factor control in patients after ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the level of risk factor control achieved in patients one year after experiencing an ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack.
- To compare pre-admission risk factor levels with those measured post-admission.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of medical records for 99 surviving patients one year after stroke/TIA admission.
- Data collected included blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), hemoglobin A1c, and body mass index (BMI).
- Measurements were compared between periods up to 6 months before admission and 6-13 months after admission.
Main Results:
- Overall, only diastolic blood pressure and hemoglobin A1c showed statistically significant improvements.
- In patients with suboptimal pre-admission control, significant improvements were observed in systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, LDL, and hemoglobin A1c.
- However, most patients with suboptimal pre-admission risk factors did not achieve optimal control one year post-stroke.
- Only a small fraction (23 patients) had all relevant risk factors optimally controlled within the VA system post-admission.
Conclusions:
- Modest improvements in certain risk factors were observed after stroke.
- Significant opportunities remain to optimize the control of cardiovascular risk factors in the post-stroke population.
- Enhanced strategies are needed to achieve guideline-recommended risk factor control for secondary stroke prevention.
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