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BACKGROUND: Symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) is the most devastating complication of thrombolytic therapy for acute stroke. It is not clear whether patients with sICH continue to bleed after diagnosis, nor has the most appropriate treatment been determined. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of our prospectively collected Get With the Guidelines-Stroke database between April 1, 2003, and December 31, 2007. Radiologic images and all procoagulant agents used were reviewed. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: Of 2362 patients with acute ischemic stroke during the study period, sICH occurred in 19 of the 311 patients (6.1%) who received intravenous tissue plasminogen activator and 2 of the 72 (2.8%) who received intra-arterial thrombolysis. In-hospital mortality was significantly higher in patients with sICH than in those without (15 of 20 75.0% vs 56 of 332 16.9%, P 33% increase in intracerebral hemorrhage volume) occurred in 4 of 10 patients with follow-up scans available (40.0%). CONCLUSIONS: In many patients with sICH after thrombolysis, coagulopathy goes untreated. Our finding of continued bleeding after diagnosis in 40.0% of patients suggests a powerful opportunity for intervention. A multicenter registry to analyze management of thrombolysis-associated intracerebral hemorrhage and outcomes is warranted.
Goldstein et al. (Sun,) studied this question.