Intravenous thrombolysis plus hypothermia for acute treatment of ischemic stroke (ICTuS-L): final results.
OBJECTIVE
Induced hypothermia is a promising neuroprotective therapy. We studied the feasibility and safety of hypothermia and thrombolysis after acute ischemic stroke.


METHODS
Intravenous Thrombolysis Plus Hypothermia for Acute Treatment of Ischemic Stroke (ICTuS-L) was a randomized, multicenter trial of hypothermia and intravenous tissue plasminogen activator in patients treated within 6 hours after ischemic stroke. Enrollment was stratified to the treatment time windows 0 to 3 and 3 to 6 hours. Patients presenting within 3 hours of symptom onset received standard dose intravenous alteplase and were randomized to undergo 24 hours of endovascular cooling to 33°C followed by 12 hours of controlled rewarming or normothermia treatment. Patients presenting between 3 and 6 hours were randomized twice: to receive tissue plasminogen activator or not and to receive hypothermia or not. Results- In total, 59 patients were enrolled. One patient was enrolled but not treated when pneumonia was discovered just before treatment. All 44 patients enrolled within 3 hours and 4 of 14 patients enrolled between 3 to 6 hours received tissue plasminogen activator. Overall, 28 patients randomized to receive hypothermia (HY) and 30 to normothermia (NT). Baseline demographics and risk factors were similar between groups. Mean age was 65.5±12.1 years and baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score was 14.0±5.0; 32 (55%) were male. Cooling was achieved in all patients except 2 in whom there were technical difficulties. The median time to target temperature after catheter placement was 67 minutes (Quartile 1 57.3 to Quartile 3 99.4). At 3 months, 18% of patients treated with hypothermia had a modified Rankin Scale score of 0 or 1 versus 24% in the normothermia groups (nonsignificant). Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage occurred in 4 patients (68); all were treated with tissue plasminogen activator <3 hours (1 received hypothermia). Six patients in the hypothermia and 5 in the normothermia groups died within 90 days (nonsignificant). Pneumonia occurred in 14 patients in the hypothermia and in 3 of the normothermia groups (P=0.001). The pneumonia rate did not significantly adversely affect 3 month modified Rankin Scale score (P=0.32).


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrates the feasibility and preliminary safety of combining endovascular hypothermia after stroke with intravenous thrombolysis. Pneumonia was more frequent after hypothermia, but further studies are needed to determine its effect on patient outcome and whether it can be prevented. A definitive efficacy trial is necessary to evaluate the efficacy of therapeutic hypothermia for acute stroke.
Hemmen
Thomas M
TM
Department of Neuroscience, University of California, San Diego, CA 92103-8466, USA. themmen@ucsd.edu
Raman
Rema
R
Guluma
Kama Z
KZ
Meyer
Brett C
BC
Gomes
Joao A
JA
Cruz-Flores
Salvador
S
Wijman
Christine A
CA
Rapp
Karen S
KS
Grotta
James C
JC
Lyden
Patrick D
PD
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007036:Hypothermia, Induced / Q000009:adverse effects*; D057194:Intention to Treat Analysis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000209:etiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020521:Stroke / Q000628:therapy*; D013997:Time Factors; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator