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Biomedical subjects

Mai N Nguyen-Huynh

Publications and source records attributed to Mai N Nguyen-Huynh.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

National Stroke Association guidelines for the management of transient ischemic attacks.

OBJECTIVE: Transient ischemic attacks are common and important harbingers of subsequent stroke. Management varies widely, and most published guidelines have not been updated in several years. We sought to create comprehensive, unbiased, evidence-based guidelines for the management of patients with transient ischemic attacks. METHODS: Fifteen expert panelists were selected based on objective criteria, using publication metrics that predicted nomination by practitioners in the field. Prior published guidelines were identified through systematic review, and recommendations derived from them were rated independently for quality by the experts. Highest quality recommendations were selected and subsequently edited by the panelists using a modified Delphi approach with multiple iterations of questionnaires to reach consensus on new changes. Experts were provided systematic reviews of recent clinical studies and were asked to justify wording changes based on new evidence and to rate the final recommendations based on level of evidence and quality. No expert was allowed to contribute to recommendations on a topic for which there could be any perception of a conflict of interest. RESULTS: Of 257 guidelines documents identified by systematic review, 13 documents containing 137 recommendations met all entry criteria. Six iterations of questionnaires were required to reach consensus on wording of 53 final recommendations. Final recommendations covered initial management, evaluation, medical treatment, surgical treatment, and risk factor management. INTERPRETATION: The final recommendations on the care of patients with transient ischemic attacks emphasize the importance of urgent evaluation and treatment. The novel approach used to develop these guidelines is feasible, allows for rapid updating, and may reduce bias.

Health Planning Guidelines↗

Is hospitalization after TIA cost-effective on the basis of treatment with tPA?

A 24-hour hospitalization for TIA could be cost-effective simply by increasing the likelihood that patients will receive tissue plasminogen activator if a stroke occurs. The authors performed a cost-utility analysis of 24-hour hospitalization for patients diagnosed with recent TIA. The overall cost-effectiveness ratio was 55,044 dollars per quality-adjusted life-year, a value considered borderline cost-effective. For patients with higher risk of stroke, admission was cost-effective.

Academic Medical Centers↗

Regional variation in hospitalization for stroke among Asians/Pacific Islanders in the United States: a nationwide retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: In Asia, stroke incidence varies dramatically from country to country. Little is known about stroke incidence in Asians/Pacific Islanders in the US, where regional heterogeneity in Asian/Pacific Islander sub-populations is great. We sought to characterize both the national and regional incidences of first and recurrent hospitalized acute ischemic stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and intracerebral hemorrhage in Asians/Pacific Islanders compared to non-Hispanic whites. METHODS: We used the National Inpatient Sample of the 1997 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. It is a 20% stratified sample of hospitalizations to nonfederal hospitals in the US. National and regional projections were made using sampling weights specific for patients and hospitals. We identified stroke subtypes using previously validated ICD-9 codes. Age-adjusted incidence rates were calculated using the direct method with the US population in 2000 as the standard. RESULTS: There were 169,386 stroke hospitalizations in the database. Nationally, compared to whites, Asians/Pacific Islanders were more likely to have subarachnoid hemorrhage (incidence rate ratio {RR} female: 1.53, 95% CI 1.41-1.65; male RR: 1.13, 95% CI 1.00-1.27) and intracerebral hemorrhage (female RR 1.29, 95% CI 1.22-1.36; male RR: 1.58, 95% CI 1.50-1.67). However, when examined by geographic regions, Asians/Pacific Islanders had higher incidence rates of subarachnoid hemorrhage and intracerebral hemorrhage predominantly in the West, and lower rates of stroke elsewhere. CONCLUSION: Stroke incidence varies 3-fold among Asians/Pacific Islanders residing in different US regions. Geographic variation is less dramatic in whites. Whether genetic or cultural differences are responsible for dramatic heterogeneity among Asian/Pacific Islander populations is unclear and deserves further study.

Adolescent↗

Transient ischemic attack: a neurologic emergency.

Classically, a transient ischemic attack (TIA) has been defined as an acute episode of neurologic symptoms lasting less than 24 hours attributed to focal ischemia in a vascular distribution of the brain or retina. Stroke and TIA share similar risk factors, evaluation, and secondary prevention. However, evaluation of patients with TIA has traditionally lacked the same urgency that has been directed to acute stroke, probably because patients with TIA are at baseline neurologically when the diagnosis is made. Recently, several studies have found a high risk of stroke shortly after TIA. Furthermore, recent evidence suggests that early recovery from ischemia actually is associated with greater instability. Identifying patients with the highest risk of recurrent ischemic events for urgent evaluation and intervention is key in secondary stroke prevention. This article reviews the current literature on new concepts about TIA, subsequent risk of stroke, and guidelines on evaluation and treatment.

Emergency Service, Hospital↗

Spontaneous recanalization of internal carotid artery occlusion.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Spontaneous recanalization of an acutely occluded internal carotid artery (ICA) is an important phenomenon, the natural history and incidence of which have been incompletely studied. Although conventional catheter arteriography remains the gold standard for distinguishing total arterial occlusion from hairline residual lumen, CT angiography (CTA) is able to make this distinction noninvasively and more sensitively than either unenhanced MR angiography or ultrasound. The purpose of this report is to raise awareness of spontaneous recanalization and to demonstrate the possible use of CTA in following up cases of ICA occlusion. METHODS: We describe here 2 cases of acute cervical ICA occlusion seen on CTAs done at our institution. RESULTS: Follow-up CTAs in both cases showed spontaneous recanalization of the ICA requiring ipsilateral carotid endarterectomy within 1 month of the initial presentation. CONCLUSIONS: CTA, an accurate, rapid, and less invasive modality than conventional catheter arteriography, can be used to serially monitor anticoagulated patients with new-onset ICA occlusion for potential spontaneous vascular recanalization. The ability to conveniently assess ICA patency not only may influence management of individual patients but also could help us better establish the true incidence of spontaneous carotid recanalization in future studies.

Aged↗