Clinical characteristics and outcomes of SARS-CoV-2-associated stroke: a large multicenter national cohort study

❚ Highlights■ SARS-CoV-2 patients had 83.7% ischemic stroke and 39% in-hospital mortality rates.■ D-dimer levels independently predict mortality in patients with COVID-19 and stroke.■ Patients with COVID-19 and stroke have high complication rates: pneumonia 61%, renal failure 35%, sepsis 30.3% sepsis.■ Time from symptom onset to admission was shorter than the pre-pandemic average.predominated (83.7%) with severe outcomes and 31% in-hospital mortality.Only 28% of patients achieved good functional status.D-dimer level emerged as an independent predictor of mortality (OR=1.036,p=0.04), while NIH Stroke Scale score predicted poor functional outcomes (OR=1.15,p<0.001).Contrary to early pandemic concerns, stroke admission delays were not prolonged compared to pre-pandemic averages, with a median onset-toadmission time of approximately 4 h.