Cerebrovascular event after cardiac catheterization in the modern era: prevalence, in-hospital clinical course, and 30-day follow-up

Background: Stroke is a potentially serious complication that can occur after cardiac catheterization. However, there is no data in the contemporary literature about the prevalence or clinical course of this complication in a Brazilian population. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and clinical course of patients with a cerebrovascular event, considering a primary composite outcome (cardiovascular death, cerebrovascular reischemia, and severe sequelae) within 30 days of follow-up. Methods: A single-center study in which patients aged 40 years or older undergoing coronary angiography or percutaneous coronary intervention from March 2013 to February 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients who presented cerebrovascular events were compared with the control group. Results: A total of 7,980 procedures were performed in the period, and cerebrovascular events occurred in 12 individuals (0.15%); in that, 5 (41.7%) transient ischemic attacks and 7 (58.3%) ischemic strokes. Among the patients with a cerebrovascular event, there was a predominance of males (66.7%) and mean age of 64.9±9.3 years; atrial fibrillation, chronic renal failure, coronary artery bypass graft, and left ventricular dysfunction were identified in 25% of sample. The clinical and procedural characteristics were similar in both groups, with a lower number of diabetics in the control group (p=0.05). No complications related to primary outcome were identified. Conclusion: In this contemporary series, the prevalence of cerebrovascular events after interventional cardiology procedures was low, in a high volume tertiary center. The patients presented a satisfactory clinical course, potentially due to early diagnosis and treatment.