title: Intravenous thrombolysis and three-year ischemic stroke mortality.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) in ischemic stroke (IS) does not reduce three-month mortality; however, longer-term survival after IVT has not been clearly established. Thus, we aimed to compare three-year mortality after IS in IVT-treated vs non-treated patients and to indicate predictors of long-term mortality after IVT.
  
  
  METHODS
  We have evaluated data of 366 subjects with IS (196 treated with IVT and 170 non-treated with IVT, whose age, sex, and calendar time of IS occurrence matched the control group) collected via the Pomeranian Stroke Register. We estimated the three-year survival and its determinants in both groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In univariate analysis, IVT was not associated with three-year mortality (OR 0.68; 95% CI 0.44-1.05). Independent predictors for unfavorable long-term outcome in a Cox regression model were older age, parenchymal hemorrhage type 2 (ph2), and modified Rankin scale >2 points at discharge from the hospital. IVT was strongly associated with a lower risk of death in the period 0-36 months from IS (HR 0.44, 95% CI 0.28-0.69, P<.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Treatment of IS with intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator was associated with increased survival during the three-year follow-up.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chwojnicki
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland.|Department of Neurology, Nicolaus Copernicus University Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kozera
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Stroke Unit, Hospital of Sandomierz, Sandomierz, Poland.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sobolewski
authors.affiliation: Nicolaus Copernicus Pomeranian Traumatology Centre, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Fryze
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Nyka
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020521:Stroke / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality*; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator
keywords: ischemic stroke; long-term survival; thrombolysis