Baseline variables in early and late anticoagulation groups
| Variable | Early anticoagulation | Late anticoagulation | P value |
| N | 107 | 101 | – |
| Age (mean±SD) | 74.2±10.7 | 74.3±10.5 | 0.40 |
| Sex (female) | 38% (41) | 38% (38) | 0.96 |
| Hypertension | 65% (70) | 63% (64) | 0.84 |
| Previous stroke | 13% (14) | 11% (11) | 0.73 |
| Previous TIA | 8% (8) | 11% (11) | 0.38 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 16% (17) | 22% (22) | 0.23 |
| Congestive cardiac failure | 8% (9) | 10% (10) | 0.64 |
| Ischaemic heart disease | 21% (22) | 19% (19) | 0.84 |
| Pre-existing AF | 82% (88) | 78% (79) | 0.65 |
| Therapeutic anticoagulation prior to admission | 22% (19) | 9% (7) | 0.02 |
| Thrombolysis | 16% (17) | 18% (18) | 0.64 |
| Endovascular thrombectomy | 15% (16) | 11% (11) | 0.64 |
| TIAs | 7% (7) | 5% (5) | 0.62 |
| Median initial ischaemic lesion volume (mL) (IQR) | 3.5 (1-10) | 11 (3–26.5) | 0.001 |
| Median admission NIHSS score (IQR) | 4 (1–8.5) | 6 (2–13.5) | 0.12 |
| Median premorbid mRS score (IQR) | 0 (0–0) | 0 (0–0) | 0.11 |
AF, atrial fibrillation; mRS, modified Rankin Score; NIHSS, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale; TIA, transient ischaemic attack.