Mechanical thrombectomy in COVID-19-associated ischaemic stroke: patient characteristics and outcomes in a single-centre study

Introduction. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical profiles and outcomes of patients with confirmed COVID-19 infec-tion and acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) treated with mechanical thrombectomy (MT) at the Comprehensive Stroke Centre (CSC) of the University Hospital in Krakow. Clinical rationale for the study. COVID-19 is a risk factor for AIS and worsens prognosis in patients with large artery occlusions. During the pandemic, the global number of MT has dropped. At the same time, studies assessing outcomes of this treatment in COVID-19-associated AIS have produced divergent results. Material and methods. In this single-centre study, we retrospectively analysed and compared the clinical profiles (age, sex, presence of cardiovascular risk factors, neurological deficit at admission), stroke size (measured using postprocessing analysis of perfusion CT with RAPID software), time from stroke onset to arrival at the CSC, time from arrival at the CSC to groin puncture, treatment with intravenous thrombolysis, length of hospitalisation, laboratory test results, and short-term outcomes (measured with Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction scale, modified Rankin Scale and National Health Institute Stroke Scale) in patients with AIS treated with MT during the pandemic. A comparison between patients with and without concomitant SARS-CoV2 infection was then performed. Results. There were no statistically significant differences between 15 COVID (+) and 167 COVID (-) AIS patients treated with AIS with respect to clinical profiles (p > 0.05), stroke size (p > 0.05) or outcomes (NIHSS at discharge, 8.1 (SD = 7.1) vs. 8.8 (SD = 9.6), p = 0.778, mRS at discharge 2.9 (SD = 2) vs. 3.1 (SD = 2.1), p = 0.817, death rate 6.7% vs. 12.6%, p = 0.699). There was a significant difference between patients with and without COVID-19 concerning time from arrival at the CSC to groin puncture [104.27 (SD = 51.47) vs. 97.63 (SD = 156.94) min., p = 0.044] and the length of hospitalisation [23.7 (SD = 11.9) vs. 10.5 (SD = 6.9) days, p < 0.001]. Conclusion. In AIS patients treated with MT, concomitant SARS-CoV2 infection did not affect the outcome. Our observations need to be confirmed in larger, and preferably multicentre, studies.