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Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in Canada and, each year, approximately 50,000 Canadians will suffer a stroke with a range of severities from mild, short duration symptoms to significant long-term disability or death. Of these 50,000 patients, at least 20,000 are hospitalized. Earlier this year, a core set of evidence-based performance indicators were identified by a national consensus panel that may be used to determine the quality of care provided to stroke patients in hospital during the acute phase of illness. Nurses play a critical role in stroke care across the continuum and recently published stroke assessment guidelines for nurses clearly describe key approaches to assessment and/or screening of stroke survivors. Many of the nursing assessments and/or screening actions recommended in the guidelines have direct or indirect associations with the recent performance indicators. This article describes where those relationships exist and the role nurses may play in determining overall performance for acute stroke patient care delivery during the hospitalization phase of the stroke continuum of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 7 th edition of the Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations (CSBPR) is a comprehensive summary of current evidence-based recommendations, appropriate for use by healthcare providers and system planners, and intended to drive healthcare excellence, improved outcomes and more integrated health systems. This edition includes a new module on the management of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT). Cerebral venous thrombosis is defined as thrombosis of the veins of the brain, including the dural venous sinuses and/or cortical or deep veins. Cerebral venous thrombosis is a rare but potentially life-threatening type of stroke, representing 0.5-1.0% of all stroke admissions. The reported rates of CVT are approximately 10-20 per million and appear to be increasing over time. The risk of CVT is higher in women and often associated with oral contraceptive use and with pregnancy and the puerperium. This guideline addresses care for adult individuals who present to the healthcare system with current or recent symptoms of CVT. The recommendations cover the continuum of care from diagnosis and initial clinical assessment of symptomatic CVT, to acute treatment of symptomatic CVT, post-acute management, person-centered care, special considerations in the long-term management of CVT, including pregnancy and considerations related to CVT in special circumstances such as trauma and vaccination. This module also includes supporting materials such as implementation resources to facilitate the adoption of evidence into practice and performance measures to enable monitoring of uptake and effectiveness of recommendations.

Despite the high prevalence of stroke among South Asian communities in high-income countries, a comprehensive understanding of their unique experiences and needs after stroke is lacking. This study aimed to synthesize the literature examining the experiences and needs of South Asian community members impacted by stroke and their family caregivers residing in high-income countries. A scoping review methodology was utilized. Data for this review were identified from seven databases and hand-searching reference lists of included studies. Study characteristics, purpose, methods, participant characteristics, results, limitations, recommendations, and conclusions were extracted. Data were analyzed using descriptive qualitative analysis. In addition, a consultative focus group exercise with six South Asian community members who had experienced a stroke and a program facilitator was conducted to inform the review interpretations. A total of 26 articles met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Qualitative analysis identified four descriptive categories: (1) rationale for studying the South Asian stroke population (e.g., increasing South Asian population and stroke prevalence), (2) stroke-related experiences (e.g., managing community support versus stigma and caregiving expectations), (3) stroke service challenges (e.g., language barriers), and (4) stroke service recommendations to address stroke service needs (e.g., continuity of care). Several cultural factors impacted participant experiences, including cultural beliefs about illness and caregiving. Focus group participants from our consultation activity agreed with our review findings. The clinical and research recommendations identified in this review support the need for culturally appropriate services for South Asian communities across the stroke care continuum; however, more research is necessary to inform the design and structure of culturally appropriate stroke service delivery models., (© 2023. W. Montague Cobb-NMA Health Institute.)

Background: The rising incidence of heart failure (HF) in Canada necessitates commensurate resources dedicated to its management. Several health system partners launched an HF Action Plan to understand the current state of HF care in Canada and address inequities in access and resources., Methods: A national Heart Failure Resources and Services Inventory (HF-RaSI) was conducted from 2020 to 2021 of all 629 acute care hospitals and 20 urgent care centres in Canada. The HF-RaSI consisted of 44 questions on available resources, service,s and processes across acute care hospitals and related ambulatory settings., Results: HF-RaSIs were completed by 501 acute care hospitals and urgent care centres, representing 94.7% of all HF hospitalisations across Canada. Only 12.2% of HF care was provided by hospitals with HF expertise and resources, and 50.9% of HF admissions were in centres with minimal outpatient or inpatient HF capabilities. Across all Canadian hospitals, 28.7% did not have access to B-type natriuretic peptide testing, and only 48.1% had access to on-site echocardiography. Designated HF medical directors were present at 21.6% of sites (108), and 16.2% sites (81) had dedicated inpatient interdisciplinary HF teams. Among all of the sites, 28.1% (141) were HF clinics, and of those, 40.4% (57) had average wait times from referral to first appointment of more than 2 weeks., Conclusions: Significant gaps and geographic variation in delivery and access to HF services exist in Canada. This study highlights the need for provincial and national health systems changes and quality improvement initiatives to ensure equitable access to the appropriate evidence-based HF care., (Copyright © 2023 Canadian Cardiovascular Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Among patients who had an ischaemic stroke presenting directly to a stroke centre where endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) is immediately available, there is uncertainty regarding the role of intravenous thrombolysis agents before or concurrently with EVT. To support a rapid guideline, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the impact of EVT alone versus EVT with intravenous alteplase in patients who had an acute ischaemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion., Methods: In November 2021, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, Cochrane, Web of Science, clincialtrials.gov and the ISRCTN registry for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing EVT alone versus EVT with alteplase for acute ischaemic stroke. We conducted meta-analyses using fixed effects models and assessed the certainty of evidence using the GRADE approach., Results: In total 6 RCTs including 2334 participants were eligible. Low certainty evidence suggests that, compared with EVT and alteplase, there is possibly a small decrease in the proportion of patients independent with EVT alone (risk ratio (RR) 0.97, 95% CI 0.89 to 1.05; risk difference (RD) -1.5%; 95% CI -5.4% to 2.5%), and possibly a small increase in mortality with EVT alone (RR 1.07, 95% CI 0.88 to 1.29; RD 1.2%, 95% CI -2.0% to 4.9%) . Moderate certainty evidence suggests that there is probably a small decrease in symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage (sICH) with EVT alone (RR 0.75, 95% CI 0.52 to 1.07; RD -1.0%; 95%CI -1.8% to 0.27%)., Conclusions: Low certainty evidence suggests that there is possibly a small decrease in the proportion of patients that achieve functional independence and a small increase in mortality with EVT alone. Moderate certainty evidence suggests that there is probably a small decrease in sICH with EVT alone. The accompanying guideline provides contextualised guidance based on this body of evidence., Prospero Registration Number: CRD42021249873., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) remain the leading cause of death for women. However, systematic inequalities exist in how women experience clinical cardiovascular (CV) policies, programs, and initiatives., Methods: In collaboration with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, a question regarding female-specific CV protocols in an emergency department (ED), or an inpatient or ambulatory care area of a healthcare site was sent via e-mail to 450 healthcare sites in Canada. Contacts at these sites were established through the larger initiative-the Heart Failure Resources and Services Inventory-conducted by the foundation., Results: Responses were received from 282 healthcare sites, with 3 sites confirming the use of a component of a female-specific CV protocol in the ED. Three sites noted using sex-specific troponin levels in the diagnosis of acute coronary syndromes; 2 of the sites are participants in the hs- c Tn- O ptimizing the D iagnosis of Acut e M yocardial I nfarction/Injury in Women (CODE MI) trial. One site reported the integration of a female-specific CV protocol component into routine use., Conclusions: We have identified an absence of female-specific CVD protocols in EDs that may be associated with the identified poorer outcomes in women impacted by CVD. Female-specific CV protocols may serve to increase equity and ensure that women with CV concerns have access to the appropriate care in a timely manner, thereby helping to mitigate some of the current adverse effects experienced by women who present to Canadian EDs with CV symptoms., (© 2022 The Authors.)

Abstract: The seventh edition of the Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations for Rehabilitation and Recovery following Stroke includes a new section devoted to the provision of virtual stroke rehabilitation. This consensus statement uses Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations methodology and Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation II principles. A literature search was conducted using PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases. An expert writing group reviewed all evidence and developed recommendations, as well as consensus-based clinical considerations where evidence was insufficient for a recommendation. All recommendations underwent internal and external review. These recommendations apply to hospital, ambulatory care, and community-based settings where virtual stroke rehabilitation is provided. This guidance is relevant to health professionals, people living with stroke, healthcare administrators, and funders. Recommendations address issues of access, eligibility, consent and privacy, technology and planning, training and competency (for healthcare providers, patients and their families), assessment, service delivery, and evaluation. Virtual stroke rehabilitation has been shown to safely and effectively increase access to rehabilitation therapies and care providers, and uptake of these recommendations should be a priority in rehabilitation settings. They are key drivers of access to high-quality evidence-based stroke care regardless of geographical location and personal circumstances in Canada., Competing Interests: Funding: The development of the Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations is funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. No funds for the development of these recommendations come from commercial interests, including pharmaceutical and device companies. Writing group members and external reviewers are volunteers who do not receive any remuneration for their participation. All participants complete a conflict of interest declaration before participating., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Aim: Whether or not use of intravenous alteplase in combination with endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) improves outcomes versus EVT alone, for acute stroke patients with large vessel occlusion presenting directly to a comprehensive stroke center, is uncertain., Methods: Six randomized trials exploring this issue were published, and we synthesized this evidence to inform a rapid guideline based on the Guidelines International Network principles and guided by the GRADE approach., Results: We enlisted an international panel that included 4 patient partners and 1 caregiver, individuals from 6 countries. The panel considered low certainty evidence that EVT alone, relative to EVT with intravenous alteplase, possibly results in a small decrease in the proportion of patients that achieve functional independence and possibly a small increase in mortality. Both effect estimates were downgraded twice due to very serious imprecision. The panel also considered moderate certainty evidence that EVT alone probably decreases symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, versus EVT with alteplase, and combination therapy was more costly than EVT alone. As a result of the low certainty for improved recovery without impairment and mortality for combination therapy versus EVT alone, and moderate certainty for increased harm with combination therapy, the panel made a weak recommendation in favor of EVT alone for stroke patients eligible for both treatments, and initially presenting directly to a comprehensive stroke center that provides both treatments., Conclusions: Consistent with this weak recommendation, optimal patient management will likely often include co-treatment with intravenous alteplase, depending on local circumstances and patient presentation., (© 2022 Chinese Cochrane Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

The 2020 update of the Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations (CSBPR) for the Secondary Prevention of Stroke includes current evidence-based recommendations and expert opinions intended for use by clinicians across a broad range of settings. They provide guidance for the prevention of ischemic stroke recurrence through the identification and management of modifiable vascular risk factors. Recommendations address triage, diagnostic testing, lifestyle behaviors, vaping, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, other cardiac conditions, antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapies, and carotid and vertebral artery disease. This update of the previous 2017 guideline contains several new or revised recommendations. Recommendations regarding triage and initial assessment of acute transient ischemic attack (TIA) and minor stroke have been simplified, and selected aspects of the etiological stroke workup are revised. Updated treatment recommendations based on new evidence have been made for dual antiplatelet therapy for TIA and minor stroke; anticoagulant therapy for atrial fibrillation; embolic strokes of undetermined source; low-density lipoprotein lowering; hypertriglyceridemia; diabetes treatment; and patent foramen ovale management. A new section has been added to provide practical guidance regarding temporary interruption of antithrombotic therapy for surgical procedures. Cancer-associated ischemic stroke is addressed. A section on virtual care delivery of secondary stroke prevention services in included to highlight a shifting paradigm of care delivery made more urgent by the global pandemic. In addition, where appropriate, sex differences as they pertain to treatments have been addressed. The CSBPR include supporting materials such as implementation resources to facilitate the adoption of evidence into practice and performance measures to enable monitoring of uptake and effectiveness of recommendations.

Actively engaging people with lived experience (PWLE) in stroke-related clinical practice guideline development has not been effectively implemented. This pilot project evaluated the feasibility, perceived value, and effectiveness of the Community Consultation and Review Panel (CCRP), a new model to engage PWLE in the writing and review of Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations. Responses to a standardized evaluation tool indicated that participants perceived the CCRP as valued, impactful, effective, and beneficial to stroke care. This project successfully demonstrated that values, experiences, and recommendations of PWLE can be effectively incorporated into guideline content and is applicable to all guideline development processes., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2020.)

Introduction: Vascular disease is a common cause of dementia, and often coexists with other brain pathologies such as Alzheimer's disease to cause mixed dementia. Many of the risk factors for vascular disease are treatable. Our objective was to review evidence for diagnosis and treatment of vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) to issue recommendations to clinicians., Methods: A subcommittee of the Canadian Consensus Conference on Diagnosis and Treatment of Dementia (CCCDTD) reviewed areas of emerging evidence. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system was used to assign the quality of the evidence and strength of the recommendations., Results: Using standardized diagnostic criteria, managing hypertension to conventional blood pressure targets, and reducing risk for stroke are strongly recommended. Intensive blood pressure lowering in middle-aged adults with vascular risk factors, using acetylsalicylic acid in persons with VCI and covert brain infarctions but not if only white matter lesions are present, and using cholinesterase inhibitors are weakly recommended., Conclusions: The CCCDTD has provided evidence-based recommendations for diagnosis and management of VCI for use nationally in Canada, that may also be of use worldwide., (© 2020 The Authors. Alzheimer's & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Alzheimer's Association.)

Background: Delayed presentation to the emergency department influences acute stroke care and can result in worse outcomes. Despite public health messaging, many young adults consider stroke as a disease of older people. We determined the differences in ambulance utilization and delays to hospital presentation between women and men as well as younger (18-44 years) versus older (≥45 years) patients with stroke., Methods: We conducted a population-based retrospective study using national administrative health data from the Canadian Institute of Health Information databases and examined data between 2003 and 2016 to compare ambulance utilization and time to hospital presentation across sex and age., Results: Young adults account for 3.9% of 463,310 stroke/transient ischemic attack/hemorrhage admissions. They have a higher proportion of hemorrhage (37% vs. 15%) and fewer ischemic events (50% vs. 68%) compared with older patients. Younger patients are less likely to arrive by ambulance (62% vs. 66%, p < 0.001), with younger women least likely to use ambulance services (61%) and older women most likely (68%). Median stroke onset to hospital arrival times were 7 h for older patients and younger men, but 9 h in younger women. There has been no improvement among young women in ambulance utilization since 2003, whereas ambulance use increased in all other groups., Conclusions: Younger adults, especially younger women, are less likely to use ambulance services, take longer to get to hospital, and have not improved in utilization of emergency services for stroke over 13 years. Targeted public health messaging is required to ensure younger adults seek emergency stroke care.

Competing Interests: Intérêts concurrents: Theodore Wein déclare avoir reçu des subventions d’Allergan, de Boehringer Ingelheim et de Bayer, et des subventions et honoraires de consultant de Servier, d’Allergan et d’Ipsen; il a offert des séances de formation médicale continue pour Servier; et il a reçu un remboursement de frais de déplacement de Servier. David Gladstone n’a eu aucun lien personnel de nature financière avec l’industrie au cours des 36 mois précédant la publication. Il agit à titre d’investigateur principal de l’étude SCREEN-AF (sans rémunération; étude soutenue par le Réseau canadien pour la prévention des accidents cérébrovasculaires [C-SPIN], et subventionnée par les Instituts de recherche en santé du Canada [IRSC]), et à titre de co-investigateur principal pour le volet canadien de l’étude ARCADIA, subventionnée par les National Institutes of Health des États-Unis. Le Dr Gladstone a déjà été superviseur indépendant de l’innocuité pour cet essai (sans rémunération); investigateur principal d’un projet de recherche du réseau C-SPIN subventionné par les IRSC pour la base de données Ontario Holter/Echo; et investigateur d’un site local des études NAVIGATE ESUS et NASPAF-ICH (tous honoraires des sites versés à l’établissement). Alexandre Poppe est investigateur principal et co-investigateur de sites pour NoNo et Bayer et a reçu une bourse de l’initiative Canadian Stroke Trials for Optimized Results. Alan Bell déclare avoir reçu des honoraires personnels d’AstraZeneca Novartis, de Pfizer, de Servier et de Bayer, en dehors du travail soumis. Il est viceprésident de l’organisme Thrombose Canada (poste non rémunéré), il fait partie du conseil d’administration d’Hypertension Canada (poste non rémunéré) et il est l’auteur des Lignes directrices canadiennes relatives au traitement antiplaquettaire de la Société canadienne de cardiologie. Leanne K. Casaubon déclare avoir reçu des honoraires personnels de Medtronic et de Bayer et est investigatrice principale de site pour un essai clinique relatif au NA1 de NoNo Inc. (aucune compensation financière personnelle). James Douketis déclare avoir reçu des honoraires personnels de Leo Pharma, de Janssen, de Pfizer, de Bristol-Myers Squibb, de Sanofi, de Servier Canada et de Portola, lesquels sont déposés dans des comptes de recherche en milieu hospitalier (St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton) et universitaire (Université McMaster) ou d’organismes de bienfaisance. Le Dr Douketis déclare aussi avoir reçu des honoraires personnels en tant qu’employé de The Merck Manual et d’UpToDate. Thalia Field déclare avoir reçu des subventions et des honoraires personnels de Bayer Canada, et des honoraires personnels de Pfizer-BMS et de Servier, en dehors du travail soumis. Jeffrey Habert déclare avoir reçu des honoraires personnels de Pfizer, d’Amgen, de BMS, de Bayer, de Boehringer Ingelheim, d’Eli-Lilly, de Purdue, d’Allergan, d’AstraZeneca, de Lundbeck, de Novo-Nordisk, de Servier, de Janssen, de Roche, de HLS, d’Otsuka (conférencier, membre de comité consultatif ou consultant), et d’Alliance, de M.D. Briefcase, de Bausch, de Liv, de MedPlan, de Brandaide, d’Academy, de Bridge, de Seacourses, de Meducom, du Centre International de développement professionnel en santé et médecine, de CPD Network, d’Antibody, de CHRC, de STA Healthcare Communications, de CTC, du Canadian Collaborative Research Network, de Four Health Comm (membre de comité scientifique et consultant), en dehors du travail soumis. Shamir Mehta déclare avoir reçu des subventions et des honoraires personnels d’AstraZeneca, des subventions de Boston Scientific et des honoraires personnels de Bayer. William Semchuk déclare avoir reçu des honoraires personnels de Bayer, de Pfizer, de Servier, de BMS, de Sanofi et d’AstraZeneca, en dehors du travail soumis. Mikul Sharma déclare avoir reçu des subventions et des honoraires de Bayer, des subventions de Boehringer Ingelheim et de Bristol-Myers Squibb, et des honoraires de consultant de Portola et de Daiichi Sankyo. Jacob Udell déclare avoir reçu des subventions et des honoraires personnels d’AstraZeneca, de Boehringer Ingelheim, de Janssen et de Sanofi. Eric E. Smith a reçu des honoraires personnels de Portola Pharmaceuticals et de Biogen. Dar Dowlatshahi a reçu une bourse de la Fondation des maladies du cœur et de l’AVC du Canada et des honoraires de Bayer, de BMS et d’Apopharma, en dehors du travail soumis. Gord Gubitz est membre de comités consultatifs pour Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim et Pfizer. Aucun autre intérêt concurrent n’a été déclaré.

The sixth update of the Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations: Rehabilitation, Recovery, and Reintegration following Stroke. Part one: Rehabilitation and Recovery Following Stroke is a comprehensive set of evidence-based guidelines addressing issues surrounding impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions following stroke. Rehabilitation is a critical component of recovery, essential for helping patients to regain lost skills, relearn tasks, and regain independence. Following a stroke, many people typically require rehabilitation for persisting deficits related to hemiparesis, upper-limb dysfunction, pain, impaired balance, swallowing, and vision, neglect, and limitations with mobility, activities of daily living, and communication. This module addresses interventions related to these issues as well as the structure in which they are provided, since rehabilitation can be provided on an inpatient, outpatient, or community basis. These guidelines also recognize that rehabilitation needs of people with stroke may change over time and therefore intermittent reassessment is important. Recommendations are appropriate for use by all healthcare providers and system planners who organize and provide care to patients following stroke across a broad range of settings. Unlike the previous set of recommendations, in which pediatric stroke was included, this set of recommendations includes primarily adult rehabilitation, recognizing many of these therapies may be applicable in children. Recommendations related to community reintegration, which were previously included within this rehabilitation module, can now be found in the companion module, Rehabilitation, Recovery, and Community Participation following Stroke. Part Two: Transitions and Community Participation Following Stroke .

The 2019 update of the Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations (CSBPR) for Mood, Cognition and Fatigue following Stroke is a comprehensive set of evidence-based guidelines addressing three important issues that can negatively impact the lives of people who have had a stroke. These include post-stroke depression and anxiety, vascular cognitive impairment, and post-stroke fatigue. Following stroke, approximately 20% to 50% of all persons may be affected by at least one of these conditions. There may also be overlap between conditions, particularly fatigue and depression. If not recognized and treated in a timely matter, these conditions can lead to worse long-term outcomes. The theme of this edition of the CSBPR is Partnerships and Collaborations, which stresses the importance of integration and coordination across the healthcare system to ensure timely and seamless care to optimize recovery and outcomes. Accordingly, these recommendations place strong emphasis on the importance of timely screening and assessments, and timely and adequate initiation of treatment across care settings. Ideally, when screening is suggestive of a mood or cognition issue, patients and families should be referred for in-depth assessment by healthcare providers with expertise in these areas. As the complexity of patients treated for stroke increases, continuity of care and strong communication among healthcare professionals, and between members of the healthcare team and the patient and their family is an even bigger imperative, as stressed throughout the recommendations, as they are critical elements to ensure smooth transitions from acute care to active rehabilitation and reintegration into their community.

Background: We analyzed hospitalization rates for a broad set of cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) between 2007 and 2016 in Canada to characterize population-level trends and demographic and provincial/territorial variation in inpatient health care utilization., Methods: Record-level administrative hospitalization data from April 1, 2007 to March 31, 2017 for individuals aged 0-105 years were obtained from the Canadian Institute for Health Information Discharge Abstract Database. Data were available for all provinces and territories, except Quebec. Using the International Classification of Diseases (10th Revision, Canada) diagnostic coding standards, we identified disease categories related to cardiovascular disease, stroke, or VCI. Hospitalizations, crude and standardized, for age and sex (direct method) were calculated using the 2011 Census as the standard population., Results: Between 2007 and 2016, percent decreases in standardized hospitalization rates were relatively small for heart failure and stroke (-2.4% and -4.7%, respectively), whereas those for coronary artery and vascular disease and heart rhythm disorders were moderate (-27.4% and -16.8%, respectively). Percent increases were relatively small for congenital heart disease (+7.2%) and moderate for acquired valvular heart disease (+31.1%) and VCI (+23.4%). There were notable age- and sex-specific differences along with provincial/territorial variation., Conclusions: Between 2007 and 2016, there was an overall decrease in standardized hospitalization rates for coronary artery and vascular disease, heart failure, heart rhythm disorders, and stroke, and an increase in hospitalization rates for structural heart disease (congenital heart disease and acquired valvular heart disease) and VCI in Canada., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background and Aim: Atrial fibrillation is associated with increased risk of ischemic stroke and its global prevalence is increasing. We aimed to describe the contemporary temporal trends in hospital admissions, case fatality rate, as well as sex differences in atrial fibrillation-related stroke in Canada., Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using Canadian national administrative data to identify admissions to hospital for stroke with comorbid atrial fibrillation between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2016. We determined temporal trends in the crude and the age- and sex-standardized admission and case fatality rates. We also evaluated for any sex differences in these outcomes., Results: There were 222,100 admissions to hospital for ischemic (n = 182,990) or hemorrhagic (n = 39,110) stroke. Comorbid atrial fibrillation was present in 20.2% of admissions for ischemic strokes and 10.1% for hemorrhagic strokes. Over the study period, the age-sex adjusted proportion of admissions with atrial fibrillation increased from 16.3% to 20.5% (p = 0.02) for ischemic stroke and was stable for hemorrhagic stroke. In-hospital case fatality rate decreased for ischemic stroke with and without comorbid atrial fibrillation. Women aged 65 years and older with ischemic stroke were more likely to have comorbid atrial fibrillation compared to men, while this association was reversed in younger women. There were no sex differences in the case fatality rate for people with atrial fibrillation-related ischemic stroke., Conclusion: Atrial fibrillation is present in an increasing proportion of people hospitalized in Canada with ischemic stroke and disproportionately affects older women. Renewed focus is needed on atrial fibrillation-related stroke prevention with particular attention to sex disparities.

Background: The literature indicates that cardiovascular disease (CVD; including stroke), older age, and availability of health care resources affect COVID-19 case fatality rates (CFRs). The cumulative effect of COVID-19 CFRs in global CVD populations and the extrapolated effect on access to health care services in the CVD population in Canada are not fully known. In this study we explored the relationships of factors that might affect COVID-19 CFRs and estimated the potential indirect effects of COVID-19 on Canadian health care resources., Methods: Country-level epidemiological data were analyzed to study the correlation, main effect, and interaction between COVID-19 CFRs and: (1) the proportion of the population with CVD; (2) the proportion of the population 65 years of age or older; and (3) the availability of essential health services as defined by the World Health Organization Universal Health Coverage index. For indirect implications on health care resources, estimates of the volume of postponed coronary artery bypass grafting, percutaneous coronary intervention, and valve surgeries in Ontario were calculated., Results: Positive correlations were found between COVID-19 CFRs and: (1) the proportion of the population with CVD (ρ = 0.40; P  = 0.001); (2) the proportion of the population 65 years of age or older (ρ = 0.43; P  = 0.0005); and (3) Universal Health Coverage index (ρ = 0.27; P  = 0.03). For every 1% increase in the proportion of the population 65 years of age or older or proportion of the population with CVD, the COVID-19 CFR was 9% and 19% higher, respectively. Approximately 1252 procedures would be postponed monthly in Ontario because of current public health measures., Conclusions: Countries with more prevalent CVD reported higher COVID-19 CFRs. Strain on health care resources is likely in Canada., (© 2020 Canadian Cardiovascular Society. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Competing Interests: Competing interests: Theodore Wein reports receiving grants from Allergan, Boehringer Ingelheim and Bayer, and grants and consulting fees from Servier, Allergan and Ipsen; conducting accredited continuing medical education sessions for Servier; and receiving travel reimbursement from Servier. David Gladstone reports no personal financial relationships with industry in the 36 months prior to publication. He serves as principal investigator of the SCREEN-AF trial (uncompensated; trial funded by the Canadian Stroke Prevention Intervention Network (C-SPIN), which is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research [CIHR]), and as a national co–principal investigator for the Canadian arm of the ARCADIA trial, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Gladstone previously served as an independent medical safety monitor for that trial (uncompensated); principal investigator of a research grant from the CIHR-funded C-SPIN Network for the Ontario Holter/Echo Database; and a local site investigator for NAVIGATE ESUS, and NASPAF-ICH (all site fees paid to institution). Alexandre Poppe is site principal investigator and site co-investigator for NoNo and Bayer and has received a grant from Canadian Stroke Trials for Optimized Results. Alan Bell reports receving personal fees from AstraZeneca Novartis, Pfizer, Servier and Bayer, outside the submitted work. He is the vice-president of Thrombosis Canada (unpaid position), serves on the board of directors of Hypertension Canada (unpaid position) and was an author of the Antiplatelet Guideline of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society. Leanne K Casaubon reports receiving personal fees from Medtronic and Bayer and is site principal investigator for a clinical trial related to NA1 by NoNo Inc. (no personal financial compensation). James Douketis reports receiving personal fees from Leo Pharma, Janssen, Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Sanofi, Servier Canada and Portola, which are deposited in hospital-based (St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton) and university-based (McMaster University) research accounts or charitable foundations. Dr. Douketis also reports receiving personal fees as an employee of The Merck Manual and UpTo-Date. Thalia Field reports receiving grants and personal fees from Bayer Canada, and personal fees from Pfizer-BMS and Servier, outside the submitted work. Jeffrey Habert reports receiving personal fees from Pfizer, Amgen, BMS, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli-Lilly, Purdue, Allergan, AstraZeneca, Lundbeck, Novo-Nordisk, Servier, Janssen, Roche, HLS, Otsuka (speaker, advisory board or consulting), and from Alliance, MD-Briefcase, Bausch, Liv, MedPlan, Brandaide, Academy, Bridge, Seacourses, Meducom, the International Centre for Professional Development in Health and Medicine, CPD Network, Antibody, CHRC, STA Healthcare Communications, CTC, Canadian Collaborative Research Network, Four Health Comm (scientific committee, consulting), outside the submitted work. Shamir Mehta reports receiving grants and personal fees from AstraZeneca, grants from Boston Scientific, and personal fees from Bayer. William Semchuk reports receiving personal fees from Bayer, Pfizer, Servier, BMS, Sanofi, and AstraZeneca, outside the submitted work. Mikul Sharma reports receiving grants and honoraria from Bayer, grants from Boehringer Ingelheim and Bristol-Myers Squibb, and consulting fees from Portola and Daiichi Sankyo. Jacob Udell reports receiving grants and personal fees from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Janssen and Sanofi. Eric E Smith has received personal fees from Portola Pharmaceuticals and Biogen. Dar Dowlatshahi has received a grant from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and honoraria from Bayer, BMS and Apopharma, outside the submitted work. Gord Gubitz is a member of advisory boards for Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim and Pfizer. No other competing interests were declared.

Background Approximately 8% to 21% of strokes affect adults aged <45 years. Although early stroke recurrence conveys the largest risk, long-term risks for young survivors with no early complications are unclear. Methods and Results Longitudinal matched case-control study (2003-2013). Consecutive patients with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (young, ≤44 years) discharged from emergency or regional stroke centers in Ontario, Canada, with no death, recurrent stroke/transient ischemic attack, myocardial infarction, all-cause hospitalization, or admission to a long-term or continuing care facility (≤90 days) were matched 10:1 to general population controls on age (±1 year), sex, income, geography, and case date (±50 days). The primary outcome was a composite of death, stroke, myocardial infarction, and long-term or continuing care facility admission at 1, 3, and 5 years. Absolute event rates for young stroke/transient ischemic attack patients were lower than for older patients at 1 (2.2% versus 9.9%), 3 (4.7% versus 24.6%), and 5 (7.1% versus 37.2%) years. However, piecewise constant hazard modeling revealed that, even after adjustment for vascular comorbidities, young patients showed a 7-fold increased hazard of the composite outcome compared with young controls at 1 year (hazard ratio, 7.3; 95% CI, 4.0-13.6). Adjusted 5-year piecewise hazard also remained >5× that of young controls (hazard ratio, 5.2; 95% CI, 2.8-9.4), compared with a 30% increase at 5 years for older patients (hazard ratio, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.3-1.4). Conclusions Young stable stroke/transient ischemic attack survivors show a higher long-term hazard of adverse outcomes compared with matched controls than older patients. Findings support the need for long-term follow-up and aggressive risk reduction in young survivors and suggest secondary prevention guidelines for these patients are required.

The Canadian Stroke Best Practice Consensus Statement Acute Stroke Management during Pregnancy is the second of a two-part series devoted to stroke in pregnancy. The first part focused on the unique aspects of secondary stroke prevention in a woman with a prior history of stroke who is, or is planning to become, pregnant. This document focuses on the management of a woman who experiences an acute stroke during pregnancy. This consensus statement was developed in recognition of the need for a specifically tailored approach to the management of this group of patients in the absence of any broad-based, stroke-specific guidelines or consensus statements, which do not exist currently. The foundation for the development of this document was the concept that maternal health is vital for fetal well-being; therefore, management decisions should be based first on the confluence of two clinical considerations: (a) decisions that would be made if the patient wasn't pregnant and (b) decisions that would be made if the patient hadn't had a stroke, then nuanced as needed. While empirical research in this area is limited, this consensus document is based on the best available literature and guided by expert consensus. Issues addressed in this document include initial emergency management, diagnostic imaging, acute stroke treatment, the management of hemorrhagic stroke, anesthetic management, post stroke management for women with a stroke in pregnancy, intrapartum considerations, and postpartum management. These statements are appropriate for healthcare professionals across all disciplines and system planners to ensure pregnant women who experience a stroke have timely access to both expert neurological and obstetric care.

The Canadian Stroke Best Practice Consensus Statement: Secondary Stroke Prevention during Pregnancy, is the first of a two-part series devoted to stroke in pregnancy. This document focuses on unique aspects of secondary stroke prevention in a woman with a prior history of stroke or transient ischemic attack who is, or is planning to become, pregnant. Although stroke is relatively rare in this cohort, several aspects of pregnancy can increase stroke risk during or immediately after pregnancy. The rationale for the development of this consensus statement is based on the premise that stroke in this group requires a specifically-tailored management approach. No other broad-based, stroke-specific guidelines or consensus statements exist currently. Underpinning the development of this document was the concept that maternal health is vital for fetal wellbeing; therefore, management decisions should be based on the confluence of two clinical considerations: (a) decisions that would be made if the patient was not pregnant and (b) decisions that would be made if the patient had not had a stroke. While empirical research in this area is limited, this consensus document is based on the best available literature and guided by expert consensus. Issues addressed in this document include general management considerations for secondary stroke prevention, the use of antithrombotics, blood pressure management, lipid management, diabetes care, and management for specific ischemic stroke etiologies in pregnancy. The focus is on maternal and fetal health while minimizing risks of a recurrent stroke, through counseling, monitoring, and the safety of select pharmacotherapy. These statements are appropriate for health care professionals across all disciplines.

The 2017 update of The Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations for the Secondary Prevention of Stroke is a collection of current evidence-based recommendations intended for use by clinicians across a wide range of settings. The goal is to provide guidance for the prevention of ischemic stroke recurrence through the identification and management of modifiable vascular risk factors. Recommendations include those related to diagnostic testing, diet and lifestyle, smoking, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapies, carotid artery disease, atrial fibrillation, and other cardiac conditions. Notable changes in this sixth edition include the development of core elements for delivering secondary stroke prevention services, the addition of a section on cervical artery dissection, new recommendations regarding the management of patent foramen ovale, and the removal of the recommendations on management of sleep apnea. The Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations include a range of supporting materials such as implementation resources to facilitate the adoption of evidence to practice, and related performance measures to enable monitoring of uptake and effectiveness of the recommendations. The guidelines further emphasize the need for a systems approach to stroke care, involving an interprofessional team, with access to specialists regardless of patient location, and the need to overcome geographic barriers to ensure equity in access within a universal health care system.

Background: Dementia prevalence is rising, and it will double in the next 20 years. This study sought to understand the prevalence of dementia in hospitalized patients with ischemic stroke, and its impact on outcomes., Methods: Using the Canadian Institute of Health Information's (CIHI) Discharge Abstract Database (DAD), all acute ischemic stroke admissions from April 2003 to March 2015 in Canada (excluding Quebec) were analyzed. Concurrent dementia at the time of admission was assessed based on hospital diagnostic codes. Characteristics and in-hospital outcomes were compared in patients with and without dementia using χ 2 and negative binomial, as well as Poisson regression analysis., Results: During the observed period, 313,138 people were admitted to a hospital in Canada for an ischemic stroke. Of those, 21,788 (7.0%) had a concurrent diagnosis of dementia. People with dementia had older median age (84 vs. 76 years; p<0.0001), were more often female (59.6% vs. 48.4%; p<0.0001) and more often had Charlson-Deyo Comorbidity Index ≥2 (64.5% vs. 43.5%; p<0.0001). Patients with dementia were less likely to be discharged to a rehabilitation facility (adjusted risk ratio [RR] 3.089, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.992-3.188, p<0.0001) or home independently (adjusted RR 0.756, 95% CI 0.737-0.776, p<0.0001).InterpretationApproximately 1 in 13 hospitalized ischemic stroke patients has coded dementia. Patients with ischemic stroke and concurrent dementia have higher mortality, face significantly more dependence after stroke and utilize greater healthcare resources than stroke patients without dementia. Causative conclusions are limited by the administrative data source. Early care planning and coordination could potentially optimize outcomes.

Background: Rapid assessment and management of transient ischemic attacks and nondisabling strokes by specialized stroke prevention services reduces the risk of recurrent stroke and improves outcomes. In Canada, with its vast geography and with 16.8% of the population living in rural areas, access to these services is challenging, and considerable variation in access to care exists. The purpose of this multiphase study was to identify sites across Canada providing stroke prevention services, evaluate resource capacity and determine geographic access for Canadians., Methods: We developed a Stroke Prevention Services Resource Inventory that contained 22 questions on the organization and delivery of stroke prevention services and quality monitoring. The inventory ran from November 2015 to January 2016 and was administered online. We conducted a geospatial analysis to estimate access by drive times. Considerations were made for hours of operation and access within and across provincial borders., Results: A total of 123 stroke prevention sites were identified, of which 119 (96.7%) completed the inventory. Most (95) are designated stroke prevention or rapid assessment clinics. Of the 119 sites, 68 operate full time, and 39 operate less than 2.5 days per week. A total of 87.3% of the Canadian population has access to a stroke prevention service within a 1-hour drive; however, only 69.2% has access to a service that operates 5-7 days a week. Allowing provincial border crossing improves access (< 6-h drive) for those who are beyond a 6-hour drive within their home province (3.4%)., Interpretation: Most Canadians have reasonable geographic access to stroke prevention services. Allowing patients to cross borders improves the existing access for many, particularly some remote communities along the Ontario-Quebec and British Columbia-Alberta borders., Competing Interests: Competing interests: See the end of the article.This study was presented in part at the 2016 Canadian Stroke Congress, Sept. 15-17, 2016, Québec, Que., (Copyright 2018, Joule Inc. or its licensors.)

Every year, approximately 62,000 people with stroke and transient ischemic attack are treated in Canadian hospitals. The 2016 update of the Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations Telestroke guideline is a comprehensive summary of current evidence-based and consensus-based recommendations appropriate for use by all healthcare providers and system planners who organize and provide care to patients following stroke across a broad range of settings. These recommendations focus on the use of telemedicine technologies to rapidly identify and treat appropriate patients with acute thrombolytic therapies in hospitals without stroke specialized expertise; select patients who require to immediate transfer to stroke centers for Endovascular Therapy; and for the patients who remain in community hospitals to facilitate their care on a stroke unit and provide remote access to stroke prevention and rehabilitation services. While these latter areas of Telestroke application are newer, they are rapidly developing, with new opportunities that are yet unrealized. Virtual rehabilitation therapies offer patients the opportunity to participate in rehabilitation therapies, supervised by physical and occupational therapists. While not without its limitations (e.g., access to telecommunications in remote areas, fragmentation of care), the evidence-to-date sets the foundation for improving access to care and management for patients during both the acute phase and now through post stroke recovery.

Background Stroke risk is increased during pregnancy, but estimates of pregnancy-related stroke incidence vary widely. Aims A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to assess the incidence of stroke during pregnancy and the puerperium. Ovid Medline, EMBASE, and ISI Web of Science were searched for studies published between 1990 and January 2017 reporting stroke incidence during pregnancy and postpartum, from defined pregnancy populations. Pooled analyses were conducted using a random effects approach and expressed as an incidence rate per 100,000 pregnancies, with 95% confidence intervals. Subgroup analyses of stroke type and timing were conducted. Summary of review Eleven studies met inclusion criteria. Variation in estimated rates was noted based on geography and study methodology. The pooled crude rate of pregnancy-related stroke was 30.0 per 100,000 pregnancies (95% confidence interval 18.8-47.9). The pooled crude rates from nonhemorrhagic stroke (arterial and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis) were 19.9 (95% confidence interval 10.7-36.9) and from hemorrhage 12.2 (95% confidence interval 6.4-23.2) per 100,000 pregnancies. For studies separately reporting cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, the rates were roughly equal between ischemic stroke (12.2, 95% confidence interval 6.7-22.2), cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (9.1, 95% confidence interval 4.3-18.9), and hemorrhage (12.2, 95% confidence interval 6.4-23.2). The crude stroke rate for antenatal/perinatal stroke was 18.3 (95% confidence interval 11.9-28.2), and for postpartum stroke was 14.7 (95% confidence interval 8.3-26.1). Conclusions Stroke affects 30.0 per 100,000 pregnancies, with ischemia, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, and hemorrhage causing roughly equal numbers and with highest risk peripartum and postpartum. Organized approaches to the management of this high-risk population, informed by existing evidence from stroke and obstetrical care are needed.

Background: Stroke is often preceded by transient symptoms. Although global stroke rates have been shown to be declining, previous studies have reported inconsistent temporal trends of transient ischemic attacks (TIA). The objective of the current study is to report the temporal trends of TIA admissions and outcomes in Canada over the last 11 years., Methods: We conducted a complete population cohort study using a national administrative database to study the temporal trend of age- and sex-adjusted TIA admission rates in Canada from 2003 to 2013. We also determined the rates of TIA and stroke diagnoses in the emergency department in the province of Ontario during the same period. We used multivariable analyses to study discharge location after acute hospitalization as well as 90-day stroke and/or TIA readmission rates., Results: Of 425,799 admissions to an acute care hospital for all stroke and TIA, 71,443 (16.8%) were TIA. The age- and sex-standardized rates of TIA admission decreased significantly during the study period from 30.0 to 20.6 per 100,000 (p<0.0001). In Ontario, decreasing TIA admissions is mirrored by decreasing rates of TIA directly discharged from the emergency department (55.1 to 46.8 per 100,000, p = 0.002). The odds of 90-day readmission rates for stroke or TIA are also decreasing (adjusted odds ratio, 0.97; 95% confidence interval, 0.96-0.99)., Conclusions: We show that TIA admission rates have declined in the past 11 years in Canada, reflecting improved vascular risk reduction and stroke care. Future studies to confirm our findings on improved stroke or TIA recurrence rates are necessary.

Background: Canada's vast geography creates challenges for ensuring prompt transport to hospital of patients who have had a stroke. We sought to determine the proportion of people across various Canadian provinces for whom hyperacute stroke services are accessible within evidence-based time targets., Methods: We calculated, for the 8 provinces with available data, drive-time polygons on a map of Canada that delineated the area around stroke centres and emergency medical services (EMS) base centres to which one can drive in 3.5-6 hours. We calculated the proportional area of each forward sortation area (first 3 digits of the postal code) contained within a drive-time polygon. We applied this ratio to the 2011 Canadian census population of the forward sortation area to estimate the population that can reach a stroke centre in a designated time., Results: A total of 47.1%-96.4% of Canadians live within a 4.5-hour drive to a stroke centre via road EMS, and 53.3%-96.8% live within a 6-hour drive. Assuming a total travel time of 5 hours by EMS from base centre to patient and patient to hospital, 84.7%-99.8% of the population has access to a current or proposed endovascular thrombectomy site., Interpretation: Most Canadians live within 6 hours' road access to a stroke centre. Geospatial mapping could be used to inform decisions for additional sites and identify gaps in service accessibility. Coordinated systems of care and ambulance bypass agreements must continue to evolve to ensure maximal access to time-sensitive emergency stroke services., Competing Interests: Competing interests: See the end of the article., (Copyright 2017, Joule Inc. or its licensors.)

Background: Interhospital transfer is an important but resource-intensive pattern of care. The use for stroke patients is highly dependent upon health system structure. We examined the impact of hospital transfers for stroke care in Canada., Methods: We analyzed hospital administrative data within the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) Database for the 3 fiscal years 2011/12, 2012/13 and 2013/14. Patients with clinical stroke syndrome (ischemic or hemorrhagic) were identified using International Classification of Diseases. Stroke centers were defined by Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada stroke report., Results: During the 3-year period,397 patients in Canada (excluding Quebec) were admitted to hospital for clinical stroke syndrome. Median age was 75 (interquartile range [IQR] 64-84) years; 50.6 % were male. Less than 5% (n=4030) of patients were transferred. Patients transferred to stroke centers were younger (p<0.001) and had shorter median length of stay (p<0.001). The highest probability of discharge home was associated with sole care at stroke center (43.8%). Transfer to stroke center from community hospital had the highest probability for discharge to rehabilitation facility (25%) and lowest to either long-term (2.1%) or complex community care (2.0%). Transferred patients had lower mortality at discharge., Conclusion: Younger patients were transferred more frequently to stroke centers; older patients were more likely treated in community hospitals. Sole stroke center care was associated with high discharge rate to home; transfer to a stroke center was associated with high discharge rate to rehabilitation and lower mortality rates.

Stroke rehabilitation is a progressive, dynamic, goal-orientated process aimed at enabling a person with impairment to reach their optimal physical, cognitive, emotional, communicative, social and/or functional activity level. After a stroke, patients often continue to require rehabilitation for persistent deficits related to spasticity, upper and lower extremity dysfunction, shoulder and central pain, mobility/gait, dysphagia, vision, and communication. Each year in Canada 62,000 people experience a stroke. Among stroke survivors, over 6500 individuals access in-patient stroke rehabilitation and stay a median of 30 days (inter-quartile range 19 to 45 days). The 2015 update of the Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations: Stroke Rehabilitation Practice Guidelines is a comprehensive summary of current evidence-based recommendations for all members of multidisciplinary teams working in a range of settings, who provide care to patients following stroke. These recommendations have been developed to address both the organization of stroke rehabilitation within a system of care (i.e., Initial Rehabilitation Assessment; Stroke Rehabilitation Units; Stroke Rehabilitation Teams; Delivery; Outpatient and Community-Based Rehabilitation), and specific interventions and management in stroke recovery and direct clinical care (i.e., Upper Extremity Dysfunction; Lower Extremity Dysfunction; Dysphagia and Malnutrition; Visual-Perceptual Deficits; Central Pain; Communication; Life Roles). In addition, stroke happens at any age, and therefore a new section has been added to the 2015 update to highlight components of stroke rehabilitation for children who have experienced a stroke, either prenatally, as a newborn, or during childhood. All recommendations have been assigned a level of evidence which reflects the strength and quality of current research evidence available to support the recommendation. The updated Rehabilitation Clinical Practice Guidelines feature several additions that reflect new research areas and stronger evidence for already existing recommendations. It is anticipated that these guidelines will provide direction and standardization for patients, families/caregiver(s), and clinicians within Canada and internationally., (© 2016 World Stroke Organization.)

Background: The Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor study 2013 (GBD 2013) is the first of a series of annual updates of the GBD. Risk factor quantification, particularly of modifiable risk factors, can help to identify emerging threats to population health and opportunities for prevention. The GBD 2013 provides a timely opportunity to update the comparative risk assessment with new data for exposure, relative risks, and evidence on the appropriate counterfactual risk distribution., Methods: Attributable deaths, years of life lost, years lived with disability, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) have been estimated for 79 risks or clusters of risks using the GBD 2010 methods. Risk-outcome pairs meeting explicit evidence criteria were assessed for 188 countries for the period 1990-2013 by age and sex using three inputs: risk exposure, relative risks, and the theoretical minimum risk exposure level (TMREL). Risks are organised into a hierarchy with blocks of behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks at the first level of the hierarchy. The next level in the hierarchy includes nine clusters of related risks and two individual risks, with more detail provided at levels 3 and 4 of the hierarchy. Compared with GBD 2010, six new risk factors have been added: handwashing practices, occupational exposure to trichloroethylene, childhood wasting, childhood stunting, unsafe sex, and low glomerular filtration rate. For most risks, data for exposure were synthesised with a Bayesian meta-regression method, DisMod-MR 2.0, or spatial-temporal Gaussian process regression. Relative risks were based on meta-regressions of published cohort and intervention studies. Attributable burden for clusters of risks and all risks combined took into account evidence on the mediation of some risks such as high body-mass index (BMI) through other risks such as high systolic blood pressure and high cholesterol., Findings: All risks combined account for 57·2% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 55·8-58·5) of deaths and 41·6% (40·1-43·0) of DALYs. Risks quantified account for 87·9% (86·5-89·3) of cardiovascular disease DALYs, ranging to a low of 0% for neonatal disorders and neglected tropical diseases and malaria. In terms of global DALYs in 2013, six risks or clusters of risks each caused more than 5% of DALYs: dietary risks accounting for 11·3 million deaths and 241·4 million DALYs, high systolic blood pressure for 10·4 million deaths and 208·1 million DALYs, child and maternal malnutrition for 1·7 million deaths and 176·9 million DALYs, tobacco smoke for 6·1 million deaths and 143·5 million DALYs, air pollution for 5·5 million deaths and 141·5 million DALYs, and high BMI for 4·4 million deaths and 134·0 million DALYs. Risk factor patterns vary across regions and countries and with time. In sub-Saharan Africa, the leading risk factors are child and maternal malnutrition, unsafe sex, and unsafe water, sanitation, and handwashing. In women, in nearly all countries in the Americas, north Africa, and the Middle East, and in many other high-income countries, high BMI is the leading risk factor, with high systolic blood pressure as the leading risk in most of Central and Eastern Europe and south and east Asia. For men, high systolic blood pressure or tobacco use are the leading risks in nearly all high-income countries, in north Africa and the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. For men and women, unsafe sex is the leading risk in a corridor from Kenya to South Africa., Interpretation: Behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks can explain half of global mortality and more than one-third of global DALYs providing many opportunities for prevention. Of the larger risks, the attributable burden of high BMI has increased in the past 23 years. In view of the prominence of behavioural risk factors, behavioural and social science research on interventions for these risks should be strengthened. Many prevention and primary care policy options are available now to act on key risks., Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: We analyzed a 10-year stroke administrative dataset to examine trends in admissions, mortality, and discharge destination in Canada., Methods: We conducted an analysis of hospital administrative data from April 1st 2003 to March 31st 2013 from the Canadian Institute of Health Information's Discharge Abstract Database. Ten-year trends for population-based age- and sex-standardized admission rates were calculated. We reviewed 10-year trends in absolute stroke admissions for differences between provinces and age groups. Stroke 30-day in-hospital mortality rates were calculated and adjusted for sex, age, stroke type and comorbidities. We documented changes in discharge location for ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke patients discharged from acute care., Results: The rate of hospital admissions has declined from 140.2 to 117.5 (per 100,000 people). The number of absolute stroke admissions within provinces increased in Alberta and British Columbia (21.7% and 16.2% respectively). The proportion of stroke patients aged 40-69 years old increased by 4.8% (p<0.0001) over the 10 years, whereas the proportion aged over 70 decreased by 4.9% (p<0.0001). Risk-adjusted 30-day in-hospital mortality decreased from: 18.5% to 14.9% for all strokes; 15.2% to 12.1% for ischemic strokes; 35.6% to 29.7% for intracerebral hemorrhage; and 25.1% to 18.0% for subarachnoid hemorrhage. The absolute increase in patients requiring inpatient and outpatient support increased by 4% (p<0.0001)., Conclusion: The rate of admissions for stroke is decreasing but there is an increase in stroke admissions for younger patients. In-hospital mortality is decreasing; fewer patients are going directly home without services and more are requiring support services.

Every year, approximately 62,000 people with stroke and transient ischemic attack are treated in Canadian hospitals. The 2014 update of the Canadian Secondary Prevention of Stroke guideline is a comprehensive summary of current evidence-based recommendations for clinicians in a range of settings, who provide care to patients following stroke. Notable changes in this 5th edition include an emphasis on treating the highest risk patients who present within 48 h of symptom onset with transient or persistent motor or speech symptoms, who need to be transported to the closest emergency department with capacity for advanced stroke care; a recommendation for brain and vascular imaging (of the intra- and extracranial vessels) to be completed urgently using computed tomography/computed tomography angiography; prolonged cardiac monitoring for patients with suspective cardioembolic stroke but without evidence for atrial fibrillation on electrocardiogram or holter monitoring; and de-emphasizing the need for routine echocardiogram. The Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations include a range of supporting materials such as implementation resources to facilitate the adoption of evidence to practice, and related performance measures to enable monitoring of uptake and effectiveness of the recommendations using a standardized approach. The guidelines further emphasize the need for a systems approach to stroke care, involving an interprofessional team, with access to specialists regardless of patient location, and the need to overcome geographical barriers to ensure equity in access within a universal health-care system., (© 2014 World Stroke Organization.)

Background: There is increasing recognition of stroke as an important contributor to childhood morbidity and mortality. Current estimates of global childhood stroke burden and its temporal trends are sparse. Accurate and up-to-date estimates of childhood stroke burden are important for planning research and the resulting evidence-based strategies for stroke prevention and management., Objectives: To estimate the prevalence, mortality and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for ischemic stroke (IS), hemorrhagic stroke (HS) and all stroke types combined globally from 1990 to 2013., Methodology: Stroke prevalence, mortality and DALYs were estimated using the Global Burden of Disease 2013 methods. All available data on stroke-related incidence, prevalence, excess mortality and deaths were collected. Statistical models and country-level covariates were employed to produce comprehensive and consistent estimates of prevalence and mortality. Stroke-specific disability weights were used to estimate years lived with disability and DALYs. Means and 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) were calculated for prevalence, mortality and DALYs. The median of the percent change and 95% UI were determined for the period from 1990 to 2013., Results: In 2013, there were 97,792 (95% UI 90,564-106,016) prevalent cases of childhood IS and 67,621 (95% UI 62,899-72,214) prevalent cases of childhood HS, reflecting an increase of approximately 35% in the absolute numbers of prevalent childhood strokes since 1990. There were 33,069 (95% UI 28,627-38,998) deaths and 2,615,118 (95% UI 2,265,801-3,090,822) DALYs due to childhood stroke in 2013 globally, reflecting an approximately 200% decrease in the absolute numbers of death and DALYs in childhood stroke since 1990. Between 1990 and 2013, there were significant increases in the global prevalence rates of childhood IS, as well as significant decreases in the global death rate and DALYs rate of all strokes in those of age 0-19 years. While prevalence rates for childhood IS and HS decreased significantly in developed countries, a decline was seen only in HS, with no change in prevalence rates of IS, in developing countries. The childhood stroke DALY rates in 2013 were 13.3 (95% UI 10.6-17.1) for IS and 92.7 (95% UI 80.5-109.7) for HS per 100,000. While the prevalence of childhood IS compared to childhood HS was similar globally, the death rate and DALY rate of HS was 6- to 7-fold higher than that of IS. In 2013, the prevalence rate of both childhood IS and HS was significantly higher in developed countries than in developing countries. Conversely, both death and DALY rates for all stroke types were significantly lower in developed countries than in developing countries in 2013. Men showed a trend toward higher childhood stroke death rates (1.5 (1.3-1.8) per 100,000) than women (1.1 (0.9-1.5) per 100,000) and higher childhood stroke DALY rates (120.1 (100.8-143.4) per 100,000) than women (90.9 (74.6-122.4) per 100,000) globally in 2013., Conclusions: Globally, between 1990 and 2013, there was a significant increase in the absolute number of prevalent childhood strokes, while absolute numbers and rates of both deaths and DALYs declined significantly. The gap in childhood stroke burden between developed and developing countries is closing; however, in 2013, childhood stroke burden in terms of absolute numbers of prevalent strokes, deaths and DALYs remained much higher in developing countries. There is an urgent need to address these disparities with both global and country-level initiatives targeting prevention as well as improved access to acute and chronic stroke care., (© 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

We updated the evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis, assessment, prevention, and treatment of hypertension in adults for 2012. The new recommendations are: (1) use of home blood pressure monitoring to confirm a diagnosis of white coat syndrome; (2) mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists may be used in selected patients with hypertension and systolic heart failure; (3) a history of atrial fibrillation in patients with hypertension should not be a factor in deciding to prescribe an angiotensin-receptor blocker for the treatment of hypertension; and (4) the blood pressure target for patients with nondiabetic chronic kidney disease has now been changed to < 140/90 mm Hg from < 130/80 mm Hg. We also reviewed the recent evidence on blood pressure targets for patients with hypertension and diabetes and continue to recommend a blood pressure target of less than 130/80 mm Hg., (Copyright © 2012 Canadian Cardiovascular Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

We updated the evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis, assessment, prevention, and treatment of hypertension in adults for 2011. The major guideline changes this year are: (1) a recommendation was made for using comparative risk analogies when communicating a patient's cardiovascular risk; (2) diagnostic testing issues for renal artery stenosis were discussed; (3) recommendations were added for the management of hypertension during the acute phase of stroke; (4) people with hypertension and diabetes are now considered high risk for cardiovascular events if they have elevated urinary albumin excretion, overt kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, or the presence of other cardiovascular risk factors; (5) the combination of an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor and a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker (CCB) is preferred over the combination of an ACE inhibitor and a thiazide diuretic in persons with diabetes and hypertension; and (6) a recommendation was made to coordinate with pharmacists to improve antihypertensive medication adherence. We also discussed the recent analyses that examined the association between angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) and cancer., (Copyright © 2011 Canadian Cardiovascular Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Over the past decade, an exciting area of research has emerged that demonstrates strong links between specific nursing care activities and patient outcomes. This body of research has resulted in the identification of a set of "nursing-sensitive outcomes"(NSOs). These NSOs may be interpreted with more meaning when they are linked to evidence-based best practice guidelines, which provide a structured means of ensuring care is consistent among all health care team members, across geographic locations, and across care settings. Uptake of evidence-based best practices at the point of care has been shown to have a measurable positive impact on processes of care and patient outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to present a systematic, narrative review of the literature regarding the clinical effectiveness of nursing management strategies on stroke patient outcomes sensitive to nursing interventions. Subsequent investigation will explore current applications of nursing-sensitive outcomes to patients with stroke, and identify and validate measurable NSOs within stroke care delivery.

Objective: To update the evidence-based recommendations for the prevention and treatment of hypertension in adults for 2010., Options and Outcomes: For lifestyle and pharmacological interventions, randomized trials and systematic reviews of trials were preferentially reviewed. Changes in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality were the primary outcomes of interest. However, for lifestyle interventions, blood pressure lowering was accepted as a primary outcome given the general lack of long-term morbidity and mortality data in this field. Progressive renal impairment was also accepted as a clinically relevant primary outcome among patients with chronic kidney disease., Evidence: A Cochrane Collaboration librarian conducted an independent MEDLINE search from 2008 to August 2009 to update the 2009 recommendations. To identify additional studies, reference lists were reviewed and experts were contacted. All relevant articles were reviewed and appraised independently by both content and methodological experts using prespecified levels of evidence., Recommendations: For lifestyle modifications to prevent and treat hypertension, restrict dietary sodium to 1500 mg (65 mmol) per day in adults 50 years of age or younger, to 1300 mg (57 mmol) per day in adults 51 to 70 years of age, and to 1200 mg (52 mmol) per day in adults older than 70 years of age; perform 30 min to 60 min of moderate aerobic exercise four to seven days per week; maintain a healthy body weight (body mass index 18.5 kg/m(2) to 24.9 kg/m(2)) and waist circumference (less than 102 cm for men and less than 88 cm for women); limit alcohol consumption to no more than 14 standard drinks per week for men or nine standard drinks per week for women; follow a diet that emphasizes fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products, dietary and soluble fibre, whole grains and protein from plant sources, and that is low in saturated fat and cholesterol; and consider stress management in selected individuals with hypertension. For the pharmacological management of hypertension, treatment thresholds and targets should be predicated on the patient's global atherosclerotic risk, target organ damage and comorbid conditions. Blood pressure should be decreased to less than 140/90 mmHg in all patients, and to less than 130/80 mmHg in patients with diabetes mellitus or chronic kidney disease. Most patients will require more than one agent to achieve these target blood pressures. Antihypertensive therapy should be considered in all adult patients regardless of age (caution should be exercised in elderly patients who are frail). For adults without compelling indications for other agents, considerations for initial therapy should include thiazide diuretics, angiotensin- converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors (in patients who are not black), long-acting calcium channel blockers (CCBs), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) or beta-blockers (in those younger than 60 years of age). A combination of two first-line agents may also be considered as initial treatment of hypertension if systolic blood pressure is 20 mmHg above target or if diastolic blood pressure is 10 mmHg above target. The combination of ACE inhibitors and ARBs should not be used, unless compelling indications are present to suggest consideration of dual therapy. Agents appropriate for first-line therapy for isolated systolic hypertension include thiazide diuretics, long-acting dihydropyridine CCBs or ARBs. In patients with coronary artery disease, ACE inhibitors, ARBs or betablockers are recommended as first-line therapy; in patients with cerebrovascular disease, an ACE inhibitor/diuretic combination is preferred; in patients with proteinuric nondiabetic chronic kidney disease, ACE inhibitors or ARBs (if intolerant to ACE inhibitors) are recommended; and in patients with diabetes mellitus, ACE inhibitors or ARBs (or, in patients without albuminuria, thiazides or dihydropyridine CCBs) are appropriate first-line therapies. In selected high-risk patients in whom combination therapy is being considered, an ACE inhibitor plus a long-acting dihydropyridine CCB is preferable to an ACE inhibitor plus a thiazide diuretic. All hypertensive patients with dyslipidemia should be treated using the thresholds, targets and agents outlined in the Canadian lipid treatment guidelines. Selected patients with hypertension who do not achieve thresholds for statin therapy, but who are otherwise at high risk for cardiovascular events, should nonetheless receive statin therapy. Once blood pressure is controlled, low-dose acetylsalicylic acid therapy should be considered., Validation: All recommendations were graded according to the strength of the evidence and voted on by the 63 members of the Canadian Hypertension Education Program Evidence-Based Recommendations Task Force. All recommendations reported here achieved at least 80% consensus. These guidelines will continue to be updated annually., Sponsors: The Canadian Hypertension Education Program process is sponsored by the Canadian Hypertension Society, Blood Pressure Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, the College of Family Physicians of Canada, the Canadian Pharmacists Association, the Canadian Council of Cardiovascular Nurses, and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.