Perioperative Acute Ischemic Stroke in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation
Abstract
Objective
Anticoagulation therapy is commonly interrupted in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) for elective procedures. However, the risk factors of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) during the periprocedural period remain uncertain. We performed a nationwide analysis to evaluate AIS risk factors in patients with AF undergoing elective surgical procedures.
Methods
Using the Nationwide Readmission Database, we included electively admitted adult patients with AF and procedural Diagnosis-Related Group codes from 2016 to 2019. Diagnoses were identified based on International Classification of Disease, 9th revision-Clinical Modification (ICD-10 CM) codes. We constructed a logistic regression model to identify risk factors and developed a new scoring system incorporating CHA2DS2VASc to estimate periprocedural AIS risk.
Results
Of the 1,045,293 patients with AF admitted for an elective procedure, the mean age was 71.5 years, 39.2% were women, and 0.70% had a perioperative AIS during the index admission or within 30 days of discharge. Active cancer (adjusted OR [aOR] = 1.58, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.42–1.76), renal failure (aOR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.04–1.24), neurological surgery (aOR = 4.51, 95% CI = 3.84–5.30), cardiovascular surgery (aOR = 2.74, 95% CI = 2.52–2.97), and higher CHA2DS2VASc scores (aOR 1.25 per point, 95% CI 1.22–1.29) were significant risk factors for periprocedural AIS. The new scoring system (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.67 to 0.79) incorporating surgical type and cancer outperformed CHA2DS2VASc (AUC = 0.60, 95% CI = 0.60 to 0.61).
Interpretation
In patients with AF, periprocedural AIS risk increases with the CHA2DS2VASc score, active cancer, and cardiovascular or neurological surgeries. Studies are needed to devise better strategies to mitigate perioperative AIS risk in these patients. ANN NEUROL 2023;94:321–329
Potential Conflicts of Interest
All authors have completed and submitted the appropriate disclosure forms. A.D.H. holds royalties or licenses from UpToDate and receives consulting fees from NovoNordisk and Integra. S.Y. holds royalties or licenses from UpToDate. T.N.N. participates on data safety monitoring boards of various trials, serves on the advisory board of Idorsia, and participates as the president-elect of SVIN society. N.H. holds grants to his institution and participates on the research committee of the World Stroke Organization. F.A.M. receives consulting fees from Stryker, Imperative Care, Cerenovus, AstraZeneca, and Rapid Medical and serves on the board of directors of SVIN. Further details regarding potential conflicts of interest can be found in the submitted forms.
Open Research
Data Availability Statement
The NRD data used for this study are publicly available through the HCUP, and can be accessed at https://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/. No additional, non-publicly available datasets were used in this study.
