Characteristics of the study cohort
| Variable | N (%) or mean (SD) (total n=5523) |
| Gender (male) | 2996 (54.3) |
| Age at admission | 68.6 (15.2) |
| Race | |
| Caucasian | 4727 (85.6) |
| African-American | 305 (5.5) |
| Asian | 175 (3.2) |
| American-Indian | 5 (0.1) |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 9 (0.2) |
| Unknown/other | 314 (5.7) |
| Year of admission | |
| 2002–2007 | 1321 (23.9) |
| 2007–2010 | 1230 (22.3) |
| 2010–2013 | 1202 (21.8) |
| 2013–2016 | 1770 (32.1) |
| Comorbidities | |
| Atrial fibrillation/flutter | 1119 (20.3) |
| Coronary artery disease/prior myocardial infarction | 1185 (21.5) |
| Carotid stenosis | 221 (4.0) |
| Diabetes | 1292 (23.4) |
| Dyslipidaemia | 2216 (40.1) |
| Hypertension | 3744 (67.8) |
| Prior stroke | 579 (10.5) |
| Prior transient ischaemic attack | 183 (3.3) |
| Peripheral vascular disease | 237 (4.3) |
| Smoker | 826 (15.0) |
| Prosthetic heart valve | 46 (0.8) |
| Heart failure | 295 (5.3) |
| Chronic kidney disease | 181 (3.3) |
| Home medications | |
| Antithrombotics | 1843 (33.4) |
| Antiplatelet | 1574 (28.5) |
| Anticoagulant | 269 (4.9) |
| Antihypertensive | 3547 (64.2) |
| Statin | 2209 (40.0) |
| Presenting symptoms | 7.5 (7.1) |
| Aphasia | 1657 (30.0) |
| Gaze deviation | 1271 (23.0) |
| Field cut | 1404 (25.4) |
| Facial weakness | 2754 (49.9) |
| Ataxia | 698 (12.6) |
| Motor | 4379 (79.3) |
| Neglect | 936 (16.9) |
| Radiographic findings | |
| Cortical infarct | 3977 (72.0) |
| Infratentorial infarct | 1512 (27.4) |
| Arterial moderate/severe stenosis or occlusion in the head or neck | 1673 (30.3) |
| TTE findings | |
| Tumour | 2 (0.04) |
| Vegetation | 14 (0.3) |
| Patent foramen ovale | 884 (16.0) |
| Atrial septal aneurysm | 70 (1.3) |
| Left atrium, dilated | 2411 (43.7) |
| LV aneurysm | 91 (1.7) |
| LV thrombus | 59 (1.1) |
| LV hypertrophy | 1436 (26.0) |
| LV wall motion abnormality | 791 (14.3) |
| EF ≤15% | 72 (1.3) |
| EF ≤35% | 406 (7.4) |
| Lambl’s excrescence | 117 (2.1) |
| Mitral annular calcification | 2023 (36.6) |
| Aortic atheroma | 950 (17.2) |
| Cardiac valvular prosthesis | 90 (1.6) |
| Moderate or severe aortic regurgitation | 108 (2.0) |
| Moderate or severe mitral regurgitation | 609 (11.0) |
| Moderate or severe aortic stenosis | 111 (2.0) |
| Moderate or severe mitral stenosis | 98 (1.8) |
EF, ejection fraction; LV, left ventricular; TTE, transthoracic echocardiography.