Adding the initial stroke severity to a 30-day mortality model greatly improved its ability to accurately classify and rank hospitals stroke care performance, according to a study published July 18 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The findings are both important and timely, lead author Gregg C. Fonarow, MD, told Cardiovascular Business, as Medicare edges closer to finalizing a 30-day mortality outcomes measure for acute ischemic stroke.

AstraZeneca is launching the EUCLID study, an international clinical trial involving 11,500 patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD), a condition affecting approximately 27 million people in Europe and North America. EUCLID is designed to evaluate cardiovascular event rates and safety in PAD patients.

For physicians, three new oral anticoagulants offer potential alternatives to warfarin for reducing the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation. But in the absence of head-to-head comparisons, how can clinicians and payors choose? Focusing their analysis of clinical trial data on dabigatran, rivaroxaban and apixaban on high-risk patients, researchers found that no one drug stood out for efficacy but that apixaban produced fewer major hemorrhages.

When emergency medical services (EMS) notifies the hospital of a potential stroke patient before the patient reaches its doors, outcomes improve, according to a study published online July 10 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

Source: National Institute of Mental HealthUsing reperfusion therapy on warfarin-treated patients with ischemic stroke and guideline-recommended international normalized ratios appears to be safe, according to a study published June 26 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The researchers found that about half of eligible patients didnt receive this treatment, prompting the writer of an accompanying editorial to encourage physicians to use the therapy when applicable.

More and more evidence is mounting that links depression and other psychological disorders to cardiovascular events. Now researchers have found that psychological distress also is associated with an increased risk of death due to stroke. The results were published online June 18 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

The FDA issued an alert May 10, warning healthcare professionals and patients about injuries and death associated with the use of balloon angioplasty or stenting, an experimental treatment for treating chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI).

Signs of depression, lacking social networks and poor function are factors that help land stroke patients back in the hospital within three months of inpatient rehab, according to a study in the April 6 issue of the Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences. Researchers said more work focused on improving post-acute care is necessary, especially as reporting of these quality indicators will soon be mandated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.