Blood pressure variability and hemorrhagic transformation after intravenous thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke

Abstract

The effectiveness of intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) is well established in hyperacute ischemic stroke. Despite its efficacy, spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage after t-PA is a severe complication associated with poor prognosis. We evaluated the role of blood pressure (BP) and BP variability, measured before and after injection of t-PA within 24 hours. Herein, 116 patients were enrolled in this study. BP (systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and pulse pressure) were recorded before t-PA and every hour after t-PA for 24 hours. The BP profiles were characterized by initial, mean, maximum (max), minimum (min), max-min, and standard deviation (sd). The intracranial hemorrhage was assessed via computed tomography, 24-36 hours after injection of t-PA. The hemorrhagic transformation was classified using clinical and radiological criteria as follows: hemorrhagic transformation (HT), parenchymal hemorrhage (PH), and symptomatic hemorrhage (SH). The intracranial hemorrhage occurred as follows: HT 25.52% (n=25), PH 10.81% (n=12), SH 3.60% (n=4). The PPsd during the 24-hour period post-injection (24h PPsd) was significantly higher in patients with HT (14.57±0.76 vs. 11.84±0.39, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07-4.40, p<0.001) and PH (16.74±4.17 vs. 11.93±3.48, p<0.001). The odds ratio per 5 mmHg of 24h-PPsd was 2.41 (95% CI 1.23-4.72) in HT and 4.76 (95% CI 1.60-12.17) in PH. The variability in pulse pressure during the first 24 hours may be associated with hemorrhagic transformation after thrombolytic therapy with t-PA in hyperacute infarction.