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Cardiac output in patients with acute stroke
1Department of Neurology, University of the Saarland, Homburg, Germany. nejtre@krzsun.med-rz.uni-sb.de
Insights
Acute stroke patients with healthy cardiovascular systems exhibit higher cardiac output (CO) and blood pressure than controls. This study reveals elevated CO in stroke patients, offering new insights into acute stroke hemodynamics.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Cardiology
- Physiology
Background:
- Elevated blood pressure is a known complication during acute stroke.
- Cardiac output (CO) is crucial for cerebral hemodynamics but has been infrequently measured in acute stroke.
- Understanding CO in acute stroke is vital for managing cerebral perfusion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and compare cardiac output (CO) in patients with acute stroke versus a healthy control group.
- To determine if acute stroke influences cardiac output in individuals without pre-existing heart disease.
- To establish baseline CO measurements for acute stroke patients with normal cardiovascular health.
Main Methods:
- Cardiac output (CO) and blood pressure were measured in 30 acute stroke patients and 30 age-, gender-, and cardiac health-matched controls.
- Patients with a history of heart disease were excluded from the study.
- Statistical analysis, including multiple regression, was used to assess the relationship between CO, time since symptom onset, and age.
Main Results:
- Stroke patients demonstrated significantly higher cardiac output (CO), blood pressure, and heart rate compared to the control group (P < 0.01).
- A positive correlation was observed between the time elapsed since symptom onset and cardiac output.
- Age-adjusted regression analysis confirmed a significant relationship between CO, time, and age.
Conclusions:
- This study provides the first evidence that acute stroke patients with healthy cardiovascular systems have elevated cardiac output (CO) compared to controls.
- The findings suggest that acute stroke itself can lead to increased cardiac workload and output.
- Further research is warranted to explore the clinical implications of higher CO in acute stroke management.
Abstract:
It is well known that blood pressure is elevated during acute stroke. Despite its importance for cerebral haemodynamics, cardiac output (CO) has been determined only in individual cases during acute stroke. We measured CO and blood pressure in patients with no history of heart disease who suffered from acute stroke (n = 30) and in a control group comparable with regard to age, gender and cardiac health (n = 30). CO, blood pressure and heart rate were significantly (P < 0.01) higher in the group of stroke patients than in the control group. There was a tendency for more time to have elapsed between the onset of symptoms and measurements, the higher the CO [b = 0.08 l/min per hour (-0.01; 0.17)]. Adjusted for age in a multiple regression model, the regression coefficient was significant (CO = 10.35 +0.094 x time -0.077 x age). The present study shows for the first time that patients with a healthy cardiovascular system who suffer from acute stroke have a higher CO than a group of comparable controls.