Introduction
: Previous research into the administration of rTPA therapy in acute ischemic stroke patients has largely focused on the general population, however the comorbid clinical factors held by stroke patients are important factors in clinical decision making. One such comorbid condition is Atrial Fibrillation. The purpose of this study is to determine the clinical factors associated with the administration of rtPA in Acute Ischemic Stroke (AIS) patients specifically with a past medical history of Atrial Fibrillation (AFib).
Methods
: The data for this analysis was collected at a regional stroke center from January 2010 to June 2016 in Greenville, SC. It was then analyzed retrospectively using a multivariate logistic regression to identify factors significantly associated with the inclusion or exclusion receiving rtPA therapy in the AIS/AFib patient population. This inclusion or exclusion is presented as an Odds Ratio and all data was analyzed using IBM SPSS.
Results
: A total of 158 patients with Atrial Fibrillation who had Acute Ischemic Strokes were identified. For the 158 patients, the clinical factors associated with receiving rtPA therapy were a Previous TIA event (OR = 12.155, 95% CI, 1.125‐131.294, P < 0.040), the administration of Antihypertensive medication before admission (OR = 7.157, 95% CI, 1.071‐47.837, P < 0.042), the administration of Diabetic medication before admission (OR = 13.058, 95% CI, 2.004‐85.105, P < 0.007), and serum LDL level (OR = 1.023, 95% CI, 1.004‐1.042, P < 0.16). Factors associated with not receiving rtPA therapy included a past medical history of Depression (OR = 0.012, 95% CI, 0.000‐0.401, P < 0.013) or Obesity (OR = 0.131, 95% CI, 0.034‐0.507, P < 0.003), Direct Admission to the Neurology Floor (OR = 0.179, 95% CI, 0.050‐0.639, P < 0.008), serum Lipid level (OR = 0.544, 95% CI, 0.381‐0.984, P < 0.044), and Diastolic Blood Pressure (OR = 0.896, 95% CI, 0.848‐0.946, P < 0.001).
Conclusions
: The results of this study demonstrate that there are significant associations between several clinical risk factors, patient lab values, and hospital admission factors in the administration of rTPA therapy to AIS patients with a past medical history of Atrial Fibrillation. Further research is recommended to determine the extent and reasoning behind of these associations as well as their impact on the clinical course for AIS/AFib patients.
Clinical factors associated with the development of atrial fibrillation in the year following STEMI treated by primary PCI