AHA’s international stroke conference features more than 1,500 presentations in 21 categories

More than 4,500 physicians, nurses, healthcare professionals and industry representatives are expected to attend the American Heart Association (AHA) annual International Stroke Conference from Feb. 22 to Feb. 24 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas.

The program features more than 1,500 presentations in 21 categories, according to the AHA.

The clinical sessions topics include community risk factors, emergency care, acute neuroimaging, acute endovascular and acute nonendovascular treatment, diagnosis of stroke etiology, cerebral large artery disease, in-hospital treatment, clinical rehabilitation and recovery, health services, quality improvement and patient-centered outcomes. Meanwhile, topics covered in the basic science sessions include vascular biology in health and disease, basic and preclinical neuroscience of stroke recovery and experimental mechanisms and models.

Here are 18 late-breaking clinical trials to watch out for at the conference (all times are Central Standard Time):

Opening Main Event

Date: Feb. 22

Room: Hall C

11:20 a.m. – Head Position in Stroke Trial: An International Cluster Cross-over Randomized Trial – presenter is Craig S. Anderson, M.D., PhD of the George Institute for Global Health in Sydney, Australia

11:32 a.m. – Aster Trial. Contact Aspiration versus Stent Retriever Front Line for Recanalisation in Acute Cerebral Infarction – presenter is Bertrand Lapergue, MD, PhD of Foch Hospital University Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines in Suresnes, France

11:44 a.m. – Prospective, Multi-Center Study of Flow Diversion for Small and Medium-Sized Aneurysms: Results of the Premier Trial – presenter is Ricardo A. Hanel, MD, PhD of the Baptist Neurological Institute in Jacksonville, Florida

Thursday Main Event

Date: Feb. 23

Room: Hall C

11:00 a.m. – Intensive Versus Guideline Antiplatelet Therapy For Preventing Recurrence In Patients With Acute Ischaemic Stroke Or TIA: Main Results From The Triple Antiplatelets For Reducing Dependency In Ischaemic Stroke (TARDIS) Trial – presenter is Philip M. Bath, FRCP, DSc, of the University of Nottingham in Nottingham, United Kingdom 

11:12 a.m. – Cilostazol Versus Aspirin in Ischemic Stroke Patients With Intracerebral Hemorrhage or Multiple Microbleeds – presenter is Sun U. Kwon Sr. MD of Asan Medical Center in Seoul, Korea

11:24 a.m. – Resumption of Oral Anticoagulation After Intracerebral Hemorrhage is Associated With Decreased Mortality and Favorable Functional Outcome – presenter is Alessandro Biffi, MD of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts

11:36 a.m. – Efficacy and Safety of Nimodipine in Vascular Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Placebo Controlled Trial – presenter is Hua-guang Zheng, MD of Capital Medical University and Beijing Tiantan Hospital in Beijing, China 

11:48 a.m. – Second Generation Hydrogel-coated Coils for the Endovascular Treatment of Intracranial Aneurysms: Final Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial – presenter is Christian Taschner of the University Hospital Freiburg in Freiburg, Germany

Late-Breaking Science Oral Abstracts I

Date: Feb. 23

Room: Grand Ballroom B

1:30 p.m. – Ticagrelor versus Aspirin in Acute Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack of Atherosclerotic Origin – presenter is Pierre Amarenco of Paris Diderot University in Paris, France

1:42 p.m. – E-cigarette Exposure Alters Brain Glucose Utilization and Stroke Outcome – presenter is Ali E. Sifat of Texas Tech University and the Health Science Center School of Pharmacy in Amarillo, Texas

1:54 p.m. – Shake, Rattle & Roll Trial - Improving Blood Pressure Control Among African Americans – presenter is Mai N Nguyen-Huynh, MD of Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California

2:06 p.m. – Safety and Feasibility of Combination of Ticagrelor and Aspirin in Patients With Minor Stroke or TIA: Interim Analyses of the Platelet Reactivity in Acute Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack (PRINCE) Trial – presenter is Yilong Wang of Capital Medical University and Beijing Tiantan Hospital in Beijing, China

2:18 p.m. – Effect of a Nationwide Hospitalital-based Stroke Network on Key Processes of Evidence-based Stroke Care: The China National Stroke Prevention Project – presenter is Xuming Ji of Xuanwu Hospital and Capital Medical University in Beijing, China

2:30 p.m. – Rapid Increase in Endovascular Thrombectomy for Acute Ischemic Stroke in the United States: Data From Get With the Guidelines-Stroke – presenter is Eric E. Smith, MD of the University of Calgary in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

2:42 p.m. – InterHospital Transfer Prior to Thrombectomy is Associated With Delayed Treatment and Worse Outcome in the STRATIS Registry – presenter is Michael T. Froehler of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee

Closing Main Event

Date: Feb. 24

Room: Hall C

11:53 a.m. – Randomized Trial of Hemostatic Therapy for 'Spot Sign' Positive Intracerebral Hemorrhage: Primary Results From the SPOTLIGHT/STOP-IT Study Collaboration – presenter is David J. Gladstone, MD, PhD, FRCPC of the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

12:05 p.m. – Randomized Controlled Trial of Early versus Delayed Statin Therapy in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke – presenter is Shinichi Yoshimura, MD, PhD of Hyogo College of Medicine in Nisinomiya City, Japan

12:17 p.m. – A Randomized Double-Blind Pilot Study Assessing Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) During Rehabilitation for Improved Upper Limb Motor Function After Stroke – presenter is Jesse Dawson, MD of the University of Glasgow in Glasgow, United Kingdom