Abstract

Aim: Endovascular therapy (EVT) in acute stroke is an effective but invasive treatment which is frequently followed by various complications. The aim of the present study was to examine the rate of medical complications and other adverse events following EVT.

Methods: Retrospective single-center study of 380 consecutive stroke patients who received EVT between the years 2015–2019.

Results: A total of 234 (61.6%) patients had at least one recorded medical complication. The most common complication was pneumonia in 154 (40.5%) patients, followed by acute cardiac insufficiency in 134 (35.3%), and myocardial infarction in 22 (5.8%) patients. In multivariate analysis, the need for general anesthesia (OR 3.8 (1.9–7.7)), Charlson Comorbidity Index >3 (OR 1.3 (1.1–1.5)), male gender (1.9 (1.1–1.3)) and high National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score at admission (1.1 (1.0–1.2)) were associated with medical complications.

Conclusion: Medical complications are common among unselected stroke patients undergoing EVT. Both comorbidity and stroke severity have an influence on medical complications. Early recognition of complications is essential, because vast majority of patients encountering medical complications have a poor short-term outcome.