Objectives: Concise “synthetic” review of the state of the art of management of acute ischemic stroke. Data Sources: Available literature on PubMed. Study Selection: We selected landmark studies, recent clinical trials, observational studies, and professional guidelines on the management of stroke including the last 10 years. Data Extraction: Eligible studies were identified and results leading to guideline recommendations were summarized. Data Synthesis: Stroke mortality has been declining over the past 6 decades, and as a result, stroke has fallen from the second to the fifth leading cause of death in the United States. This trend may follow recent advances in the management of stroke, which highlight the importance of early recognition and early revascularization. Recent studies have shown that early recognition, emergency interventional treatment of acute ischemic stroke, and treatment in dedicated stroke centers can significantly reduce stroke-related morbidity and mortality. However, stroke remains the second leading cause of death worldwide and the number one cause for acquired long-term disability, resulting in a global annual economic burden. Conclusions: Appropriate treatment of ischemic stroke is essential in the reduction of mortality and morbidity. Management of stroke involves a multidisciplinary approach that starts and extends beyond hospital admission.

Background and purpose: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic that causes flu-like symptoms. There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that both the central and peripheral nervous systems can be affected by SARS-CoV-2, including stroke. We present three cases of arterial ischemic strokes and one venous infarction from a cerebral venous sinus thrombosis in the setting of COVID-19 infection who otherwise had low risk factors for stroke. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients presenting to a large tertiary care academic US hospital with stroke and who tested positive for COVID-19. Medical records were reviewed for demographics, imaging results and lab findings. Results: There were 3 cases of arterial ischemic strokes and 1 case of venous stroke: 3 males and 1 female. The mean age was 55 (48-70) years. All arterial strokes presented with large vessel occlusions and had mechanical thrombectomy performed. Two cases presented with stroke despite being on full anticoagulation. Conclusions: It is important to recognize the neurological manifestations of COVID-19, especially ischemic stroke, either arterial or venous in nature. Hypercoagulability and the cytokine surge are perhaps the cause of ischemic stroke in these patients. Further studies are needed to understand the role of anticoagulation in these patients.

A 72-year-old man with baseline vascular dementia was admitted for 3 days of confusion, unintelligible speech, and incontinence. His past medical history was notable for a right middle cerebral artery territory infarction 4 years prior, coronary artery disease treated with angioplasty and stenting, hypertension, and diabetes. Upon evaluation in our emergency department, his examination was notable for expressive aphasia and confusion. He was moving all extremities spontaneously against gravity. A noncontrast head CT was performed that showed a subacute infarct in the left frontal lobe, subsequently confirmed on MRI (panel A). Since he was outside the window for thrombolysis and intervention, he was given one full-dose aspirin (325 mg tablet), and admitted to our hospital for a stroke evaluation.During the course of his stroke work-up, he was found to have an apical left ventricular thrombus, presumably the etiology of his subacute left frontal lobe infarct. Given his increased risk of further ischemic strokes, he was started on anticoagulation 7 days after his stroke using intravenous heparin and then switched to an oral vitamin K antagonist (warfarin).