Journal Watch Cardiology: March 20, 2013 Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is more prevalent in patients with cryptogenic stroke than in the general population, but can correction of the PFO reduce stroke incidence? Findings from the CLOSURE I trial of the STARFlex PFO-closure device after cryptogenic stroke showed no significant reduction in the rate of recurrent stroke […]
Eur Heart J: March 13, 2013 Aims Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) are at increased risk of stroke. Betrixaban is a novel oral factor Xa inhibitor administered once daily, mostly excreted unchanged in the bile and with low (17%) renal excretion. Methods and results Patients with AF and more than one risk factor for stroke were randomized […]
JACC: March 1, 2013 Objectives This study sought to assess the safety and effectiveness of a novel cryoballoon ablation technology designed to achieve single-delivery pulmonary vein (PV) isolation. Background Standard radiofrequency ablation is effective in eliminating atrial fibrillation (AF) but requires multiple lesion delivery at the risk of significant complications. Read more
STROKEAHA: February 12, 2013 Background and Purpose—Statins are neuroprotective in a variety of experimental models of cerebral injury. We sought to determine whether patients taking statins before asymptomatic carotid endarterectomy exhibit a lower incidence of neurological injury (clinical stroke and cognitive dysfunction). Methods—A total of 328 patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis scheduled for elective carotid endarterectomy […]
JAMA: March 27, 2013 During the 30 years Ana Inés Ansaldo, PhD, practiced as a speech and language therapist, she frequently encountered patients who, after being silenced by stroke-related aphasia for many years, were able to utter everyday words or link words into spoken sentences. As a scientist, Ansaldo wanted to find out why elderly individuals […]
J Am Heart Assoc.: March 26, 2013 Background The Joint Commission began certifying primary stroke centers (PSCs) in December 2003 and provides a standardized definition of stroke center care. It is unknown if PSCs outperform noncertified hospitals. We hypothesized that PSCs would use more recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt‐PA) for ischemic stroke than would non‐PSCs. Methods and […]
STROKEAHA: March 26, 2013 Background and Purpose—Although there has been extensive research on the effectiveness of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to improve patients’ motor performance after experiencing chronic stroke, explicit findings on the coupling of different rTMS protocols are meager. We designed this sham-controlled randomized study to investigate the potential for a consecutive suppressive-facilitatory TMS […]
STROKEAHA: March 19, 2013 To avoid misguidance from calls for more routine practice (nontrial) carotid angioplasty/stenting (CAS), we need to distinguish relevant facts and patients’ best interests from all else (distractions). A recent editorial by White and Jaff1 is one publication which illustrates this need particularly well. First, these authors are correct in reminding us that the […]
STROKEAHA: January 22, 2013 Preconditioning is an adaptive process of endogenous protection in which small, sublethal doses of a harmful agent protect the organism against a later lethal dose of the same agent. The basic principle is evident in human thought and literature, encapsulated in Nietzsche’s statement, “what does not kill me makes me stronger.”1 Ischemic preconditioning, […]
STROKEAHA: March 28, 2013 Background and Purpose—Fiber intake is associated with reduced stroke risk in prospective studies, but no meta-analysis has been published to date. Methods—Multiple electronic databases were searched for healthy participant studies reporting fiber intake and incidence of first hemorrhagic or ischemic stroke, published between January 1990 and May 2012. Read more
