phenprocoumon and Ischemic-Attack--Transient

For patients who suffered a TIA or a stroke the risk of a second event is high. The recurrence rate, however, can be significantly reduced by a number of prophylactic strategies. Methods for secondary stroke prevention include a healthy lifestyle, intensive body exercise, a low cholesterol diet, and the cessation of smoking. High levels of blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose should be rigorously controlled. In particular, blood pressure levels should remain below 135/85 mmHg including a physiological day/night profile. All patients at high risk for cardiac embolism should receive oral anticoagulants. As the risk for embolic events increases with age (especially in patients with atrial fibrillation), a rigid "age-cutoff" for anticoagulation is not justified.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Adult; Anticholesteremic Agents; Anticoagulants; Antihypertensive Agents; Blood Coagulation Disorders; Brain Ischemia; Carotid Artery, Internal; Carotid Stenosis; Cerebral Infarction; Clinical Trials as Topic; Contraceptives, Oral; Embolism; Endarterectomy, Carotid; Exercise; Female; Humans; Hypertension; Hypolipidemic Agents; Ischemic Attack, Transient; Life Style; Male; Phenprocoumon; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; Recurrence; Simvastatin; Smoking Cessation; Stroke

Oral anticoagulation is highly effective for secondary prevention of cardioembolic strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). There are no studies investigating timing and complications of different strategies for initiation of oral anticoagulation after acute stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA).. Patients of ten community hospitals participating in the prospective evaluation of medical effects of the Telemedical Project for Integrative Stroke Care (TEMPiS) were included. This observational evaluation was restricted to ischaemic stroke or TIA patients with AF who were started on Phenprocoumon treatment during in-hospital stay. Antithrombotic co-medication was dichotomized in heparin bridging (weight or partial thromboplastin time-adjusted heparin) or conventional treatment (antiplatelets and/or low-dose heparin or nil). Besides treatment-relevant extracranial bleeding, major complications were documented according to the European Atrial Fibrillation Trial definitions including vascular death, ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke, systemic embolism, and myocardial infarction.. Between July 2003 and March 2005, 4,082 ischaemic stroke or TIA patients were admitted. AF was recorded in 961 patients (23.5%), of whom 376 (39.1%) received oral anticoagulation. In 229 of these patients oral anticoagulation was started in hospital, 150 (65.5%) with heparin bridging and 79 (34.5%) with conventional treatment. Patients with heparin bridging were younger, and had a longer in-hospital stay after adjustment for potential confounders (p = 0.01). Major complications were infrequent in both groups (2.0 vs. 2.5%; p = 1.0) as well as extracranial bleeding (3.3 vs. 1.2%; p = 0.43).. Initiation of oral anticoagulation after acute ischaemic stroke yielded low complication rates independent of antithrombotic co-medication. Heparin bridging was associated with a longer stay in acute care hospitals.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anticoagulants; Atrial Fibrillation; Brain Ischemia; Drug Administration Schedule; Female; Fibrinolytic Agents; Germany; Heparin; Humans; Ischemic Attack, Transient; Length of Stay; Male; Phenprocoumon; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; Prospective Studies; Stroke; Treatment Outcome

Reliable detection of anticoagulation status in patients treated with non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) is challenging but of importance especially in the emergency setting. This study evaluated the potential of a whole-blood clotting time assay based on Surface Acoustic Waves (SAW-CT) in stroke-patients. The SAW-technology was used for quick and homogenous recalcification of whole blood inducing a surface-activated clotting reaction quantified and visualised by real-time fluorescence microscopy with automatic imaging processing. In 20 stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA)-patients taking NOACs kinetics of SAW-CT were assessed and correlated to other coagulation parameters (PT, aPTT) and NOAC-plasma concentration measured by tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). In 225 emergency patients with suspicion of acute stroke or TIA, SAW-CT values were assessed. Mean (± SD) SAW-CT in non-anticoagulated stroke patients (n=180) was 124 s (± 21). In patients on dabigatran or rivaroxaban, SAW-CT values were significantly higher 2 and 8 hours (h) after intake rising up to 267 seconds (s) (dabigatran, 2 h after intake) and 250 s (rivaroxaban, 8 h after intake). In patients on apixaban, SAW-CT values were only moderately increased 2 h after intake (SAW-CT 153 s). In emergency patients, SAW-CT values were significantly higher in NOAC and vitamin K antagonist (VKA)-treated as compared to non-anticoagulated patients. In conclusion, the SAW-CT assay is capable to monitor anticoagulant level and effect in patients receiving dabigatran, rivaroxaban and the VKA phenprocoumon. It has a limited sensitivity for apixaban-detection. If specific SAW-CT results were used as cut-offs, SAW-CT yields high diagnostic accuracy to exclude relevant rivaroxaban and dabigatran concentrations in stroke-patients.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anticoagulants; Automation, Laboratory; Blood Coagulation; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Dabigatran; Drug Monitoring; Female; Humans; Ischemic Attack, Transient; Male; Microfluidic Analytical Techniques; Microscopy, Fluorescence; Middle Aged; Phenprocoumon; Predictive Value of Tests; Pyrazoles; Pyridones; Reproducibility of Results; Rivaroxaban; Stroke; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome; Whole Blood Coagulation Time

A 61-year-old man was admitted to hospital because of right-sided hypaesthesia. Additionally he reported a brief speech disturbance some weeks before. Neurological examination indicated right-sided sensomotoric hemiparesis and left-sided upper quadrant anopia. 6 years ago recurrent transient ischaemic attacks (TIA) was diagnosed caused by paradoxical embolism through a persistent foramen ovale (PFO). The PFO was closed with a 45 mm Sideris button occluder device. After this, he reported no symptoms of cerebral ischaemia and he did not take any antiplatelet therapy.. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) showed a left atrial thrombus attached to the occluder. Cerebral computed tomography revealed infarction in regions supplied by the right posterior cerebral artery and left media cerebral artery. As additional risk factor for thrombosis a heterozygous factor V Leiden mutation was diagnosed.. Multiple cerebral infarctions caused by a thrombus attached to an occluder system 6 years after interventional closure of persistent foramen ovale in a patient with heterozygous factor V Leiden mutation.. The patient was anticoagulated (phenprocoumon) and the thrombus gradually dissolved.. A thrombosis on a Sideris occluder device may cause cerebral infarctions even years after transcatheter closure of a PFO.

Topics: Anticoagulants; Cardiac Surgical Procedures; Cerebral Infarction; Echocardiography, Transesophageal; Embolism, Paradoxical; Factor V; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial; Humans; Ischemic Attack, Transient; Male; Middle Aged; Phenprocoumon; Prostheses and Implants; Risk Factors; Thrombosis; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Determination of circulating activated platelets may be helpful to estimate the prognosis and to stratify therapies in arterial vascular disorders including stroke. We used flow cytometry and phase contrast microscopy to study whether the fraction of platelets expressing p-selectin and CD63 and the fraction of platelets with shape change are increased in patients with acute and previous cerebrovascular ischemia. The proportion of platelets expressing activation dependent antigens was higher in patients with acute (n = 24; p-selectin: 8.23 +/- 4.21%; CD63: 3.53 +/- 2.53%) and with previous cerebrovascular ischemia (n = 46; 3.86 +/- 1.98%; 2.80 +/- 1.79%) as compared to age- and sex-matched control subjects (n = 35; 2.17 +/- 0.96%; 1.79 +/- 0.75%; p < or = 0.005, respectively). In patients with previous ischemia, there was no difference between treatment with aspirin (n = 25) or phenprocoumon (n = 21). Hypertension, diabetes mellitus and smoking were not associated with increased antigen expression (analysis of variance). The fraction of discoid platelets and platelet counts were not significantly different between groups. Our results indicate increased expression of platelet neoantigens in acute and to a less degree in previous cerebrovascular ischemia. Ongoing platelet activation after cerebrovascular ischemia despite therapy with aspirin or phenprocoumon indicates that new anti-platelet drugs may be of benefit for these patients. Flow cytometry appears to be a useful tool to assess platelet function in cerebrovascular ischemia.

Topics: Aged; Anticoagulants; Aspirin; Case-Control Studies; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Female; Humans; Ischemic Attack, Transient; Male; Middle Aged; Phenprocoumon; Platelet Activation; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; Risk Factors

Carotid endarterectomy (TEA) has proven to be beneficial for symptomatic patients. Anticoagulation (AC) and antiplatelet therapy (ASA) have been shown to prolong life following vascular surgery in patients with occlusive arterial disease (PAOD). To determine whether ASA or AC prolong life after TEA, retrospective analysis was undertaken, since cerebral haemorrhage is associated with the use of both drugs, especially AC. Between 1979-1986, 328 patients with stenotic lesions of the carotid bifurcation were operated upon electively. Patient survival and causes of death were the primary end points of the analysis. Recent data were obtained from the Austrian Central Bureau of Statistics. Cumulative survival rates were calculated by Kaplan-Meier estimation and differences determined by Breslow and Mantel tests. 36 patients were on AC, 157 on ASA and 135 remained without medication (0-group). Since the common risk factors in PAOD were unevenly distributed between groups, a stepwise Cox regression model was applied which revealed age (p < 0.01), cardiac pathology (p < 0.01) and diabetes (p < 0.05) as relevant for survival. Therefore, ASA patients and 0-group patients were selected and matched, employing the aforementioned prognostic criteria, and compared to the patients on long-term AC for various indications (vein bypass surgery, myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolism; i.e. data-matching). The median postoperative survival was 7.72 years for ASA and 8.48 years for AC, compared to 6.07 years for the 0-group (p = 0.0095 Breslow, p = 0.477 Mantel). There was no significant difference between AC and ASA treated patients. Irrespective of medication, the causes of death were well balanced, and no higher incidence of intracerebral haemorrhage was detected.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Topics: Aged; Aspirin; Carotid Stenosis; Cause of Death; Endarterectomy, Carotid; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Ischemic Attack, Transient; Long-Term Care; Male; Middle Aged; Phenprocoumon; Postoperative Care; Postoperative Complications; Recurrence; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Survival Analysis; Survival Rate

Topics: 4-Hydroxycoumarins; Aged; Cerebral Infarction; Female; Humans; Ischemic Attack, Transient; Male; Middle Aged; Phenprocoumon; Recurrence; Time Factors

Two groups of patients who had a stroke, prolonged reversible ischaemic neurological deficit or transient ischaemic attacks were compared; one group was treated with anticoagulants (phenprocoumon) and a matched control group was treated with other substances. Results showed a similar survival rate in both groups, but significantly fewer recurrences were seen in the surviving patients treated with anticoagulants.

Topics: 4-Hydroxycoumarins; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Ischemic Attack, Transient; Male; Middle Aged; Phenprocoumon; Prognosis; Quality of Life; Recurrence