Routine C-Reactive Protein on Admission and In-Hospital Outcomes in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients Treated with...

Background and Objectives: This research was conducted to explore the associations between C-reactive protein (CRP) levels after acute ischemic stroke (AIS) due to emergent large vessel occlusion and treatment with thrombectomy and in-hospital functional outcomes. Materials and Methods: Serum CRP and other laboratory parameters were evaluated in individuals who experienced AIS and underwent thrombectomy upon admission to a comprehensive stroke center at Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos in 2022. In-hospital functional outcomes were assessed according to the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and were considered poor in cases with mRS > 2 at discharge or in-hospital mortality. Multiple logistic regression was used to evaluate potential confounders. Results: The analysis encompassed 179 individuals (57.0% male and 43.0% female; mean (SD) age, 71.54 (11.32) years). Significantly higher median (interquartile range) CRP levels were detected in the poor-outcome group (4.47 (2.11-14.20) vs. 2.43 (1.37-6.25) mg/L; p = 0.042). Multiple analyses adjusted for important confounders during the hospital stay did not show any significant associations between CRP and the evaluated AIS outcomes. Poor outcomes at discharge were associated with detected infection (OR = 6.12; 95% CI: 2.22-16.86; p < 0.001), but in-hospital mortality was related to a higher NIH Stroke Scale score (OR = 1.12; 95% CI: 1.03-1.22; p = 0.010). A higher estimated glomerular filtration rate was associated with lower in-hospital mortality (OR = 0.97; 95% CI: 0.95-0.99; p = 0.013). Conclusions: No statistically significant associations were identified between CRP levels on admission and in-hospital functional outcomes in patients with AIS treated with thrombectomy.