Continuation or Discontinuation of Anticoagulation in the Early Phase After Acute Ischemic Stroke [Brief Report]

Background and Purpose—There is no consensus on whether anticoagulation should be continued or temporarily stopped in patients suffering acute ischemic stroke while using anticoagulation. We assessed treatment variations and outcomes in these patients.Methods—Post hoc analysis of PASS (Preventive Antibiotics in Stroke Study). We included patients with acute ischemic stroke who used anticoagulation at admission. We compared clinical outcomes, thrombotic, and major bleeding events at 3 months.Results—Nine percent (192/2101) of the patients with acute ischemic stroke used anticoagulation at admission (186 vitamin K antagonists). Anticoagulation was discontinued in 35/192 (18%) patients. These patients had higher National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores than patients in whom anticoagulation was continued (median, 13 versus 4; P

Source: Stroke - June 25, 2018 Category: Neurology Authors: Adrien E. Groot, Jan-Dirk M. Vermeij, Willeke F. Westendorp, Paul J. Nederkoorn, Diederik van de Beek, Jonathan M. Coutinho Tags: Secondary Prevention, Anticoagulants, Cerebrovascular Disease/Stroke, Ischemic Stroke Brief Reports Source Type: research