Characteristics of patients with COVID-19 and AIS
| Patient characteristics | n (%) |
| Risk factors | |
| Hypertension | 18 (90) |
| Diabetes | 13 (65) |
| Hyperlipidaemia | 8 (40) |
| Obesity | 17 (85) |
| Cancer | 3 (15) |
| Smoking | 5 (25) |
| Prior stroke | 2 (10) |
| Prior atrial fibrillation | 1 (5) |
| Stroke characteristics | |
| LVO | 11 (55)* |
| M1 | 2 |
| M2 | 3 |
| A2 | 1 |
| ICA | 1 |
| Basilar | 2 |
| Vertebral | 1 |
| Large-vessel stenosis | 5 (25) |
| M1 | 4 |
| Basilar | 1 |
| Normal CTA | 4 (20) |
| CTA not done | 1 (5) |
| Treatment | |
| IV tPA received | 4 (20) |
| IV tPA not received | 16 (80) |
| Delay in arrival | 11 |
| Transfers for endovascular procedure | 3 |
| Very low NIHSS for tPA | 2 |
| Mechanical thrombectomy | 4 (20)† |
| Angioplasty | 1 (5) |
| Cardiopathy | |
| Atrial fibrillation | 2 (10) |
| New onset | 1 |
| Prior history | 1 |
| Heart failure | 3 (15) |
| Acute on chronic | 1 |
| New onset—acute | 2 |
| Left atrial enlargement on echocardiography or electrocardiography | 3 (15) |
| Presumed stroke mechanism | |
| Large artery atherosclerosis | 5 (20) |
| Cardioembolic | 2 (10) |
| Small vessel stroke | 1 (5) |
| Arterial dissection | 1 (5) |
| Cryptogenic | 2 (10) |
| Incomplete work up | 9 (45) |
| Outcomes | |
| Recurrent strokes | 2 |
| Same arterial territory | 2 |
| Haemorrhagic conversion | 5‡ |
| Characteristics of COVID-19 infection in stroke patients | |
| Reason for testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection | |
| Respiratory symptoms at presentation | 14 |
| CXR/CTA findings | 4 |
| Screening for endovascular procedure | 2 |
| Intensive care admission | 6 |
| Highest oxygen requirement | |
| Mechanical ventilation | 10 (DNI status—4) |
| BiPAP/high flow | 1 |
| Nasal canula/face mask/non-rebreather mask | 5 |
| None | 4 |
| MODS | 10 |
| Outcomes | |
| Death | 10 (50) |
| Acute rehab | 5 (25) |
| Subacute rehab | 1 (5) |
| Home | 3 (15) |
| Hospice | 1 (5) |
*One patient had both LVO and high-grade stenosis and therefore was included in both categories.
†All interventions successful, except for one case of basilar thrombus with difficult access due to bilateral vertebral occlusion.
‡Asymptomatic HT1 and HT2 haemorrhage.
AIS, acute ischaemic stroke; BiPAP, Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure; CTA, CT angiogram; CXR, Chest X-ray; DNI, Do Not Intubate; HT, Hemorrhagic Transformation; ICA, internal carotid artery; IV, intravenous; LVO, large-vessel occlusion; MODS, multiorgan dysfunction syndrome; NIHSS, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale; tPA, tissue plasminogen activator.