Concurrent COVID-19 was associated with increased complications and poor clinical outcomes in patients treated for ischemic stroke, according to data presented at EAN 2022.
The inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and coagulopathy related to COVID-19 may increase the risk of bleeding in patients with stroke. It may also reduce the efficacy of therapies, including intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) and endovascular treatment (EVT). The impact of COVID-19 on bleeding risk and clinical outcomes after therapy may be influenced by the severity of COVID-19.
In this large, multicenter study, researchers retrospectively evaluated consecutive patients who received IVT and/or EVT for ischemic stroke between March 2020 and June 2021. The impact of COVID-19 status on bleeding complications and clinical outcomes was assessed by multivariate logistic regression analysis.