Autonomic dysfunctions including impaired baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) can develop after acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and may predispose patients to subsequent cardiovascular adverse events and serve as potential indicators of long-term mortality. This study aimed to determine the potential short-term prognostic significance of BRS after AIS. All patients admitted to Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital within 72 h after onset of first-ever AIS between April 2008 and December 2012 were enrolled. Autonomic evaluation with continuous 10-minute monitoring of beat-to-beat hemodynamic and intracranial parameters was performed within 1 week after stroke by using the Task Force Monitor and transcranial Doppler. The 176 enrolled AIS patients were divided into high-BRS and low-BRS groups. All but two enrolled patients (who died within 3 months after stroke) attended scheduled follow-ups. The high-BRS group had significantly lower National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores at 1 and 2 weeks after stroke and at discharge; lower modified Rankin scale (mRS) scores 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after stroke; and lower rates of complications and stroke recurrence compared to the low-BRS group. This study provides novel evidence of the utility of BRS to independently predict outcomes after AIS. Furthermore, modifying BRS may hold potential in future applications as a novel therapeutic strategy for acute stroke.
Keywords: acute stroke; baroreflexes; intubation; prognostic factors.