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| 3. |
- Dennis, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of fluoxetine on functional outcomes after acute stroke (FOCUS) : a pragmatic, double-blind, randomised, controlled trial
- 2019
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Ingår i: The Lancet. - 0140-6736 .- 1474-547X. ; 393:10168, s. 265-274
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Results of small trials indicate that fluoxetine might improve functional outcomes after stroke. The FOCUS trial aimed to provide a precise estimate of these effects.Methods FOCUS was a pragmatic, multicentre, parallel group, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial done at 103 hospitals in the UK. Patients were eligible if they were aged 18 years or older, had a clinical stroke diagnosis, were enrolled and randomly assigned between 2 days and 15 days after onset, and had focal neurological deficits. Patients were randomly allocated fluoxetine 20 mg or matching placebo orally once daily for 6 months via a web-based system by use of a minimisation algorithm. The primary outcome was functional status, measured with the modified Rankin Scale (mRS), at 6 months. Patients, carers, health-care staff, and the trial team were masked to treatment allocation. Functional status was assessed at 6 months and 12 months after randomisation. Patients were analysed according to their treatment allocation. This trial is registered with the ISRCTN registry, number ISRCTN83290762.Findings Between Sept 10,2012, and March 31,2017,3127 patients were recruited. 1564 patients were allocated fluoxetine and 1563 allocated placebo. mRS data at 6 months were available for 1553 (99.3%) patients in each treatment group. The distribution across mRS categories at 6 months was similar in the fluoxetine and placebo groups (common odds ratio adjusted for minimisation variables 0.951 [95% CI 0.839-1.079]; p=0.439). Patients allocated fluoxetine were less likely than those allocated placebo to develop new depression by 6 months (210 [13.43%] patients vs 269 [17.21%]; difference 3.78% [95% CI 1.26-6.30]; p=0.0033), but they had more bone fractures (45 [2.88%] vs 23 [1.47%]; difference 1.41% [95% CI 0.38-2.43]; p=0.0070). There were no significant differences in any other event at 6 or 12 months.Interpretation Fluoxetine 20 mg given daily for 6 months after acute stroke does not seem to improve functional outcomes. Although the treatment reduced the occurrence of depression, it increased the frequency of bone fractures. These results do not support the routine use of fluoxetine either for the prevention of post-stroke depression or to promote recovery of function.
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- Berge, Eivind, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of alteplase on survival after ischaemic stroke (IST-3) : 3 year follow-up of a randomised, controlled, open-label trial
- 2016
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Ingår i: Lancet Neurology. - 1474-4422 .- 1474-4465. ; 15:10, s. 1028-34
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The effect of alteplase on patient survival after ischaemic stroke is the subject of debate. We report the effect of intravenous alteplase on long-term survival after ischaemic stroke of participants in the Third International Stroke Trial (IST-3).METHODS: In IST-3, done at 156 hospitals in 12 countries (Australia, Europe, and the UK), participants (aged >18 years) were randomly assigned with a telephone voice-activated or web-based system in a 1:1 ratio to treatment with intravenous 0·9 mg/kg alteplase plus standard care or standard care alone within 6 h of ischaemic stroke. We followed up participants in the UK and Scandinavia (Sweden and Norway) for survival up to 3 years after randomisation using data from national registries and compared survival in the two groups with proportional hazards survival analysis, adjusting for key prognostic variables. IST-3 is registered with the ISRCTN registry, number ISRCTN25765518.FINDINGS: Between May 5, 2000, and July 27, 2011, 3035 participants were enrolled in IST-3. Of these, 1948 (64%) of 3035 participants were scheduled for analysis of 3 year survival, and 1946 (>99%) of these were included in the analysis (967 [50%] in the alteplase plus standard care group and 979 [50%] in the standard care alone group). By 3 years after randomisation, 453 (47%) of 967 participants in the alteplase plus standard care group and 494 (50%) of 979 in the standard care alone group had died (risk difference 3·6% [95% CI -0·8 to 8·1]). Participants allocated to alteplase had a significantly higher hazard of death during the first 7 days (99 [10%] of 967 died in the alteplase plus standard care group vs 65 [7%] of 979 in the standard care alone group; hazard ratio 1·52 [95% CI 1·11-2·08]; p=0·004) and a significantly lower hazard of death between 8 days and 3 years (354 [41%] of 868 vs 429 [47%] of 914; 0·78 [0·68-0·90]; p=0·007).INTERPRETATION: Alteplase treatment within 6 h after ischaemic stroke was associated with a small, non-significant reduction in risk of death at 3 years, but among individuals who survived the acute phase, treatment was associated with a significant increase in long-term survival. These results are reassuring for clinicians who have expressed concerns about the effect of alteplase on survival.FUNDING: Heart and Stroke Scotland, UK Medical Research Council, Health Foundation UK, Stroke Association UK, Research Council of Norway, AFA Insurance, Swedish Heart Lung Fund, Foundation of Marianne and Marcus Wallenberg, Polish Ministry of Science and Education, Australian Heart Foundation, Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, Swiss National Research Foundation, Swiss Heart Foundation, Assessorato alla Sanita (Regione dell'Umbria), and Danube University.
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- Berge, Eivind, et al.
(författare)
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Methods to improve patient recruitment and retention in stroke trials
- 2016
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Ingår i: International Journal of Stroke. - : SAGE Publications. - 1747-4930 .- 1747-4949. ; 11:6, s. 663-676
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The success of randomized-controlled stroke trials is dependent on the recruitment and retention of a sufficient number of patients, but fewer than half of all trials meet their target number of patients. Methods: We performed a search and review of the literature, and conducted a survey and workshop among 56 European stroke trialists, to identify barriers, suggest methods to improve recruitment and retention, and make a priority list of interventions that merit further evaluation. Results: The survey and workshop identified a number of barriers to patient recruitment and retention, from patients’ incapacity to consent, to handicaps that prevent patients from participation in trial-specific follow-up. Methods to improve recruitment and retention may include simple interventions with individual participants, funding of research networks, and reimbursement of new treatments by health services only when delivered within clinical trials. The literature review revealed that few methods have been formally evaluated. The top five priorities for evaluation identified in the workshop were as follows: short and illustrated patient information leaflets, nonwritten consent, reimbursement for new interventions only within a study, and monetary incentives to institutions taking part in research (for recruitment); and involvement of patient groups, remote and central follow-up, use of mobile devices, and reminders to patients about their consent to participate (for retention). Conclusions: Many interventions have been used with the aim of improving recruitment and retention of patients in stroke studies, but only a minority has been evaluated. We have identified methods that could be tested, and propose that such evaluations may be nested within on-going clinical trials.
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| 6. |
- Dennis, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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Fluoxetine and Fractures After Stroke : Exploratory Analyses From the FOCUS Trial
- 2019
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Ingår i: Stroke. - : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 0039-2499 .- 1524-4628. ; 50:11, s. 3280-3282
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background and Purpose- The FOCUS trial (Fluoxetine or Control Under Supervision) showed that fluoxetine did not improve modified Rankin Scale scores (mRS) but increased the risk of fractures. We aimed to describe the fractures, their impact on mRS and factors associated with fracture risk. Methods- A United Kingdom, multicenter, parallel-group, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Patients ≥18 years with a clinical stroke and persisting deficit assessed 2 to 15 days after onset were eligible. Consenting patients were allocated fluoxetine 20 mg or matching placebo for 6 months. The primary outcome was the mRS at 6 months and secondary outcomes included fractures. Results- Sixty-five of 3127 (2.1%) patients had 67 fractures within 6 months of randomization; 43 assigned fluoxetine and 22 placebo. Fifty-nine (90.8%) had fallen and 26 (40%) had fractured their neck of femur. The effect of fluoxetine on mRS (common odds ratio =0.951) was not significantly altered by excluding fracture patients (common odds ratio =0.961). Cox proportional hazards modeling showed that only age >70 year (hazard ratio =1.97; 95% CI, 1.13-3.45; P=0.017), female sex (hazard ratio =2.13; 95% CI, 1.29-3.51; P=0.003), and fluoxetine (hazard ratio =2.00; 95% CI, 1.20-3.34; P=0.008) were independently associated with fractures. Conclusions- Most fractures resulted from falls. Although many fractures were serious, and likely to impair patients' function, the increased fracture risk did not explain the lack of observed effect of fluoxetine on mRS. Only increasing age, female sex, and fluoxetine were independent predictors of fractures. Clinical Trial Registration- URL: http://www.controlled-trials.com. Unique identifier: ISRCTN83290762.
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| 7. |
- Dennis, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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Fluoxetine to improve functional outcomes in patients after acute stroke : the FOCUS RCT
- 2020
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Ingår i: Health technology assessment (Winchester, England). - : National Institute for Health Research. - 2046-4924 .- 1366-5278. ; 24:22, s. 1-
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Rapport (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundOur Cochrane review of selective serotonin inhibitors for stroke recovery indicated that fluoxetine may improve functional recovery, but the trials were small and most were at high risk of bias.ObjectivesThe Fluoxetine Or Control Under Supervision (FOCUS) trial tested the hypothesis that fluoxetine improves recovery after stroke.DesignThe FOCUS trial was a pragmatic, multicentre, parallel-group, individually randomised, placebo-controlled trial.SettingThis trial took place in 103 UK hospitals.ParticipantsPatients were eligible if they were aged ≥ 18 years, had a clinical stroke diagnosis, with focal neurological deficits, between 2 and 15 days after onset.InterventionsPatients were randomly allocated 20 mg of fluoxetine once per day or the matching placebo for 6 months via a web-based system using a minimisation algorithm.Main outcome measuresThe primary outcome was the modified Rankin Scale at 6 months. Patients, carers, health-care staff and the trial team were masked to treatment allocation. Outcome was assessed at 6 and 12 months after randomisation. Patients were analysed by their treatment allocation as specified in a published statistical analysis plan.ResultsBetween 10 September 2012 and 31 March 2017, we recruited 3127 patients, 1564 of whom were allocated fluoxetine and 1563 of whom were allocated placebo. The modified Rankin Scale score at 6 months was available for 1553 out of 1564 (99.3%) of those allocated fluoxetine and 1553 out of 1563 (99.4%) of those allocated placebo. The distribution across modified Rankin Scale categories at 6 months was similar in the two groups (common odds ratio adjusted for minimisation variables 0.951, 95% confidence interval 0.839 to 1.079; p = 0.439). Compared with placebo, patients who were allocated fluoxetine were less likely to develop a new episode of depression by 6 months [210 (13.0%) vs. 269 (16.9%), difference –3.78%, 95% confidence interval –1.26% to –6.30%; p = 0.003], but had more bone fractures [45 (2.9%) vs. 23 (1.5%), difference 1.41%, 95% confidence interval 0.38% to 2.43%; p = 0.007]. There were no statistically significant differences in any other recorded events at 6 or 12 months. Health economic analyses showed no differences between groups in health-related quality of life, hospital bed usage or health-care costs.LimitationsSome non-adherence to trial medication, lack of face-to-face assessment of neurological status at follow-up and lack of formal psychiatric diagnosis during follow-up.Conclusions20 mg of fluoxetine daily for 6 months after acute stroke did not improve patients’ functional outcome but decreased the occurrence of depression and increased the risk of fractures. These data inform decisions about using fluoxetine after stroke to improve functional outcome or to prevent or treat mood disorders. The Assessment oF FluoxetINe In sTroke recoverY (AFFINITY) (Australasia/Vietnam) and Efficacy oF Fluoxetine – a randomisEd Controlled Trial in Stroke (EFFECTS) (Sweden) trials recruited an additional 2780 patients and will report their results in 2020. These three trials have an almost identical protocol, which was collaboratively developed. Our planned individual patient data meta-analysis will provide more precise estimates of the effects of fluoxetine after stroke and indicate whether or not effects vary depending on patients’ characteristics and health-care setting.
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| 8. |
- Lewis, Steff C., et al.
(författare)
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Predicting outcome in hyper-acute stroke : validation of a prognostic model in the Third International Stroke Trial (IST3)
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. - London, UK : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. - 0022-3050 .- 1468-330X. ; 79:4, s. 397-400
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Models are used to adjust for case mix and to stratify treatment allocation in clinical trials and can, if accurate enough, be used to aid decision-making in individual patients. We aimed to validate, in patients assessed within 6 hours of onset, a previously described six simple variable (SSV) model that was developed in stroke patients who were assessed sub-acutely. The explanatory variables in the model are age, living alone, independent pre-stroke, Glasgow Coma Scale verbal score, ability to lift arms and ability to walk.METHODS: The six variables were collected at randomisation in the Third International Stroke Trial (IST3) trial of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator in ischaemic stroke. We assessed survival to 30 days and functional status at 6 months using the Oxford Handicap Scale. We constructed receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves to establish the model's discriminatory performance and tested its calibration by charting predicted versus actual outcomes.RESULTS: 537 patients (mean age, 74 years) were included, of whom 422 (79%) survived 30 days and 179 (33%) were alive and independent at 6 months. The SSV model had an area under the ROC curve of 0.73 for 30-day survival and 0.82 for independent survival at 6 months. Calibration was satisfactory.CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the external validity of the SSV model in an ischaemic stroke population assessed within 6 hours of symptom onset. The SSV model comprising easily collected variables can therefore be used to stratify patients in hyper-acute stroke trials, but probably is not accurate enough for decision-making in individual patients.
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| 9. |
- Mair, Grant, et al.
(författare)
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Arterial Obstruction on Computed Tomographic or Magnetic Resonance Angiography and Response to Intravenous Thrombolytics in Ischemic Stroke
- 2017
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Ingår i: Stroke. - 0039-2499 .- 1524-4628. ; 48:2, s. 353-360
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Computed tomographic angiography and magnetic resonance angiography are used increasingly to assess arterial patency in patients with ischemic stroke. We determined which baseline angiography features predict response to intravenous thrombolytics in ischemic stroke using randomized controlled trial data.METHODS: We analyzed angiograms from the IST-3 (Third International Stroke Trial), an international, multicenter, prospective, randomized controlled trial of intravenous alteplase. Readers, masked to clinical, treatment, and outcome data, assessed prerandomization computed tomographic angiography and magnetic resonance angiography for presence, extent, location, and completeness of obstruction and collaterals. We compared angiography findings to 6-month functional outcome (Oxford Handicap Scale) and tested for interactions with alteplase, using ordinal regression in adjusted analyses. We also meta-analyzed all available angiography data from other randomized controlled trials of intravenous thrombolytics.RESULTS: In IST-3, 300 patients had prerandomization angiography (computed tomographic angiography=271 and magnetic resonance angiography=29). On multivariable analysis, more extensive angiographic obstruction and poor collaterals independently predicted poor outcome (P<0.01). We identified no significant interaction between angiography findings and alteplase effect on Oxford Handicap Scale (P≥0.075) in IST-3. In meta-analysis (5 trials of alteplase or desmoteplase, including IST-3, n=591), there was a significantly increased benefit of thrombolytics on outcome (odds ratio>1 indicates benefit) in patients with (odds ratio, 2.07; 95% confidence interval, 1.18-3.64; P=0.011) versus without (odds ratio, 0.88; 95% confidence interval, 0.58-1.35; P=0.566) arterial obstruction (P for interaction 0.017).CONCLUSIONS: Intravenous thrombolytics provide benefit to stroke patients with computed tomographic angiography or magnetic resonance angiography evidence of arterial obstruction, but the sample was underpowered to demonstrate significant treatment benefit or harm among patients with apparently patent arteries.CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.isrctn.com. Unique identifier: ISRCTN25765518.
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| 10. |
- Mair, Grant, et al.
(författare)
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Effect of alteplase on the CT hyperdense artery sign and outcome after ischemic stroke.
- 2016
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Ingår i: Neurology. - 0028-3878 .- 1526-632X. ; 86:2, s. 118-25
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the location and extent of the CT hyperdense artery sign (HAS) at presentation affects response to IV alteplase in the randomized controlled Third International Stroke Trial (IST-3).METHODS: All prerandomization and follow-up (24-48 hours) CT brain scans in IST-3 were assessed for HAS presence, location, and extent by masked raters. We assessed whether HAS grew, persisted, shrank, or disappeared at follow-up, the association with 6-month functional outcome, and effect of alteplase. IST-3 is registered (ISRCTN25765518).RESULTS: HAS presence (vs absence) independently predicted poor 6-month outcome (increased Oxford Handicap Scale [OHS]) on adjusted ordinal regression analysis (odds ratio [OR] 0.66, p < 0.001). Outcome was worse in patients with more (vs less) extensive HAS (OR 0.61, p = 0.027) but not in proximal (vs distal) HAS (p = 0.420). Increasing age was associated with more HAS growth at follow-up (OR 1.01, p = 0.013). Treatment with alteplase increased HAS shrinkage/disappearance at follow-up (OR 0.77, p = 0.006). There was no significant difference in HAS shrinkage with alteplase in proximal (vs distal) or more (vs less) extensive HAS (p = 0.516 and p = 0.580, respectively). There was no interaction between presence vs absence of HAS and benefit of alteplase on 6-month OHS (p = 0.167).CONCLUSIONS: IV alteplase promotes measurable reduction in HAS regardless of HAS location or extent. Alteplase increased independence at 6 months in patients with and without HAS.CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class I evidence that for patients within 6 hours of ischemic stroke with a CT hyperdense artery sign, IV alteplase reduced intra-arterial hyperdense thrombus.
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