The impact of blood pressure variation on mortality and symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage in acute stroke patients after thrombolysis

Blood pressure variation (BPV) is a known risk factor for unfavorable stroke outcomes. However, little is known about the association between BPV and short-term outcomes in stroke patients after receiving thrombolytic therapy, namely, recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA). We conducted a cross-sectional study in the specialized stroke unit of a tertiary-level hospital. Stroke patients who were eligible for rt-PA were enrolled. Blood pressure (BP) was measured every 4 h for 24 h. The SD, coefficient of variation (CV) and successive variation (SV) of both SBP and DBP were calculated. The final outcomes were symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) or in-hospital death from neurologic complications. A total of 278 patients (49.6% men) were enrolled, mean age was 65 years. The final outcomes were reported in 33 patients (11.9%). All systolic and diastolic BPV profiles were associated with the final outcome. Odds ratios (95% confident interval) were SD, 1.07 (1.02-1.13); CV, 1.10 (1.03-1.18) and SV, 1.05 (1.01-1.09) for SBP, and SD, 1.10 (1.02-1.19); CV, 1.08 (1.01-1.16) and SV, 1.09 (1.02-1.15) for DBP. After adjustment for conventional risk factors, SD, CV and SV of SBP, and SD and SV of DBP were still significantly associated with the final outcome. In conclusion, in-hospital systolic (SD, SV and CV) and diastolic (SV, SD) BPV profiles were associated with death and sICH in stroke patients after rt-PA therapy.