More Studies Required to Understand Mortality Rates of Dialysis-Dependent Patients after Acute Thrombolysis for Stroke

I read with interest the article by Tariq et al in the Journal that details outcomes with thrombolytic therapy for acute ischemic stroke in over 1000 dialysis patients. They are to be commended for examining this important aspect of acute stroke care in dialysis cohorts. However, in their discussion, the authors state that a previous US study by Sozio et al reported a 30-day mortality rate of 35% after thrombolysis. This is inaccurate and can potentially cause confusion. In fact, careful review of the article reveals that the authors of that study do not report any thrombolysis-related outcomes and that this mortality rate is for all stroke types (hemorrhagic and ischemic) in the CHOICE (Choices for Healthy Outcomes in Caring for End-Stage Renal Disease Study) cohort. Indeed, the median time from symptom onset to presentation was 11 hours (interquartile range 1-48 hours), suggesting that a significant proportion of patients would have been ineligible for thrombolytic therapy.
Source: Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Letters to the Editor Source Type: research