PhD Scientific Days 2022

Clinical Medicine VII. (Poster discussion will take place in the Aula during the Coffee Break)

The impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the outcome of acute ischemic stroke - a retrospective cohort study

Text of the abstract

Introduction: Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is a frequent complication of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), but the prognosis of these patients is poorly understood. Aims: To explore the impact of COVID-19 on neurological outcomes in AIS patients. Methods: A comparative retrospective cohort study was conducted on 32 consecutive AIS patients with and 51 without COVID-19 between the 1st of March 2020 and the 1st of May 2021. The evaluation was based on a detailed chart review for demographic data, medical history, stroke severity, cranial and vessel imaging results, laboratory parameters, COVID-19 severity, hospitalization time, in-hospital mortality, and functional deficits at discharge (modified Rankin Scale, mRS). Results: COVID-19 AIS patients showed tendency to worse initial neurological deficit (NIHSS 9 (3-13) vs. 4 (2-10); p=0.06), higher rate of large vessel occlusion (LVO; 13/32 vs. 14/51; p=0.21), had prolonged hospitalization (19.4 ± 17.7 vs. 9.7 ± 7 days; p=0.003), had lower chance of functional independence (mRS≤2) (12/32 vs. 32/51; p=0.02) and showed higher in-hospital mortality (10/32 vs. 6/51; p=0.02). In COVID-19 AIS patients, LVO was more common with COVID-19 pneumonia than without (55.6% vs. 23.1%; p=0.139). Conclusion: COVID-19-related AIS carries a worse prognosis. COVID-19 with pneumonia seems to be associated with a higher rate of LVO.
Funding: This research received no external funding.