Acute stroke: postprocedural care and management of complications

Endovascular treatment for acute ischemic stroke is an important alternative to thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) for patients who present beyond the thrombolysis time window, those who are ineligible for rt-PA, or those who do not improve after intravenous rt-PA. These patients generally require special attention in the postprocedural period because, although not frequent, complications of endovascular procedures in acute ischemic stroke have the potential to be devastating. Neurocritical care is essential to reduce and appropriately treat complications after endovascular procedures. Neurointensivists and neurocritical care nurses are experts in both critical care and neurologic disorders and have special training to recognize early physiological derangements in patients presenting with acute stroke. Close attention to the serial neurological examination, blood pressure control, adequate management of glucose, temperature, and immediate identification of complications such as reocclusion and hemorrhagic transformation are key elements that exemplify the importance of postprocedural neurocritical care in acute ischemic stroke.