Baseline variables in included and excluded patients
| Variable | Excluded patients | Included patients | P value |
| 68 | 208 | – | |
| Age (mean±SD) | 74.3±12.1 | 74.2±10.6 | 0.95 |
| Sex (female) | 38% (26) | 38% (79) | 0.93 |
| Hypertension | 51% (35) | 64% (134) | 0.05 |
| Previous stroke | 12% (8) | 12% (25) | 0.97 |
| Previous TIA | 6% (4) | 9% (19) | 0.40 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 16% (11) | 19% (39) | 0.64 |
| Congestive cardiac failure | 9% (6) | 9% (19) | 0.94 |
| Ischaemic heart disease | 15% (10) | 20% (41) | 0.43 |
| Pre-existing AF | 78% (53) | 80% (167) | 0.89 |
| Therapeutic anticoagulation prior to admission | 13% (7) | 16% (26) | 0.65 |
| Thrombolysis | 9% (6) | 17% (35) | 0.11 |
| Endovascular thrombectomy | 9% (6) | 13% (27) | 0.25 |
| Median initial ischaemic lesion volume (IQR) | 13 (3.8–29.3) | 5 (2–17.3) | 0.33 |
| TIAs | 9% (6) | 6% (12) | 0.29 |
| Median admission NIHSS score (IQR) | 3 (0–9) | 5 (1–12) | 0.34 |
| Median premorbid mRS score (IQR) | 0 (0–0) | 0 (0–0) | 0.76 |
AF, atrial fibrillation; mRS, modified Rankin Score; NIHSS, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale; TIA, transient ischaemic attack.