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A Magnetic Resonance Imaging Protocol for Stroke Onset Time Estimation in Permanent Cerebral Ischemia
09:59

A Magnetic Resonance Imaging Protocol for Stroke Onset Time Estimation in Permanent Cerebral Ischemia

Published on: September 16, 2017

Can prolonged QTc and cTNT level predict the acute and long-term prognosis of stroke?

Clara Hjalmarsson1, Lena Bokemark, Sara Fredriksson

  • 1The Stroke Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden. clara.hjalmarsson@vgregion.se

International Journal of Cardiology
|November 25, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Elevated cardiac troponin T (cTNT) predicts poor outcomes after stroke, both acutely and one year later. Prolonged QTc interval is an acute predictor, but not significant long-term.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Neurology
  • Clinical Medicine

Background:

  • Previous research links QTc prolongation and elevated cardiac troponin T (cTNT) to increased mortality risk in stroke patients.
  • Understanding predictors of mortality after stroke is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities and elevated serum cTNT as predictors of acute and long-term mortality after stroke.
  • To assess the prognostic value of these markers in elderly stroke survivors.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of baseline ECG and serum cTNT levels in 478 stroke patients (mean age 78 years).
  • Multivariate and Cox regression analyses were used to identify significant predictors of mortality.
  • Follow-up data assessed mortality at one year, adjusted for covariates.

Main Results:

  • Elevated cTNT, stroke severity, and age were strong predictors of acute mortality.
  • Prolonged QTc interval was a significant predictor of acute mortality in Cox regression.
  • Elevated cTNT, stroke severity, and age remained significant predictors of one-year mortality.
  • Atrial fibrillation was strongly correlated with poor survival.

Conclusions:

  • Prolonged repolarization time (QTc interval) independently predicts poor prognosis during the acute phase post-stroke.
  • Elevated initial cTNT is strongly related to poor outcome, both acutely and one year after stroke, in the absence of acute myocardial infarction.
Abstract

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