International stroke conference features more than 1,500 presentations

Researchers and others in the healthcare industry are gathering this week in Los Angeles for the annual American Heart Association/American Stroke Association international stroke conference.

Kyra J. Becker, MD, FAHA, the conference chairperson, noted in the final program that more than 4,300 professional attendees are expected to be in attendance. Hundreds of exhibitors will be on site, as well, showcasing the latest cerebrovascular disease technologies and products.

The conference features more than 1,500 sessions and presentations from Wednesday, Feb. 17, through Friday, Feb. 19, on 21 stroke-related categories. Topics include community risk factors, emergency care, acute neuroimaging, vascular biology, pediatric stroke, preventive strategies and vascular cognitive impairment.

Here are the late-breaking abstract sessions scheduled for Feb. 17, 18 and 19 (all times Pacific Time):

Feb. 17

11:20 a.m. – “Main Results of the Insulin Resistance Intervention After Stroke (IRIS) Trial.” – researchers Walter N. Kernan, MD, and Lawrence H. Young, MD, of the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut.

11:32 a.m. – “Finding Atrial Fibrillation In Stroke Patients - A Multicenter Randomized Evaluation Of Enhanced And Prolonged Holter Monitoring (Find-AFrandomized – Trial).” – researchers Rolf Wachter, MD, and Mark Weber-Krüger, MD, of the University of Goettingen in Göttingen, Germany.

11:44 a.m. – “Randomized Trial of Stent versus Surgery for Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis: Initial and Five-year Results of the ACT I Trial.” – researcher Lawrence R Wechsler, MD, of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Feb. 18

11:00 a.m. – “Carotid Endarterectomy versus Stenting for Treatment of Carotid Artery Stenosis: Long-term Results of the Carotid Revascularization Endarterectomy vs. Stenting Trial (CREST).” – researchers Thomas G. Brott, MD, of the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., and Robert W Hobson II of the Gagnon Heart Hospital in Morristown, N.J.

11:12 a.m. – “A Randomized Trial of Unruptured Brain Arteriovenous Malformations (ARUBA): 5-year Results.” – researchers Christian Stapf, MD, of the University de Montréal in Montreal, Canada and Michael K. Parides, MD of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

11:24 a.m. – “Clot Lysis: Evaluating Accelerated Resolution of Intraventricular Hemorrhage (CLEAR III) Results.” – researcher Daniel F. Hanley, MD, of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md.

11:36 a.m. – “Efficiency of Intraventricular Hemorrhage Removal Determines Modified Rankin Scale Score (CLEAR III).” – researcher Issam A. Awad, MD, of the University of Chicago.

11:48 a.m. – “Randomized Trial on Normalization of International Normalized Ratio Using Prothrombin Complex or Fresh Frozen Plasma in Vitamin-k Related Intracranial Bleeding.” – researchers Thorsten Steiner, MD, of Klinikum Frankfurt Höchst in Frankfurt, Germany, and Roland Veltkamp, MD, of Heidelberg University Hospital in Heidelberg, Germany.

Feb. 19

11:53 a.m. - "Primary Results of the ACTION Trial of Natalizumab in Acute Ischemic Stroke." - researchers Jacob Elkins, MD, and Lahar Mehta, MD, of Biogen in Cambridge, Mass.

12:05 p.m. - "IV Alteplase in MR-selected Patients With Stroke of Unknown Onset is Safe and Feasible: Results of the Multicenter MR WITNESS Trial (NCT01282242)." - researchers Lee H. Schwamm, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and Steve Warach, MD, of Dell Medical School at the University of Texas in Austin.

12:17 p.m. - "GAMES (Glyburide Advantage in Malignant Edema and Stroke) RP Trial: Intermediate Endpoint Analysis as Proof-of-Concept." - researchers W. Taylor Kimberly, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and Kevin Sheth, MD, of Yale University in New Haven, Conn.

We will have coverage of several sessions on our website, so check back this week and next week for updates.