Safety of endovascular treatment in acute stroke patients taking oral anticoagulants

BackgroundThe endovascular treatment of acute cerebral ischemia has been proven beneficial without major safety concerns. To date, the role of endovascular treatment in patients treated with oral anticoagulants, which may be associated with periprocedural intracranial bleeding, remains uncertain.AimsThe objective of the current analysis is to evaluate the safety of endovascular treatment in patients treated with oral anticoagulants.MethodsThe ENDOSTROKE-Registry is a commercially independent, prospective observational study in 12 stroke centers in Germany and Austria collecting pre-specified variables about endovascular stroke therapy.ResultsData from 815 patients (median age 70 (interquartile range (IQR) 20), 57% male) undergoing endovascular treatment with known anticoagulation status were analyzed. A total of 85 (median age 76 (IQR 8), 52% male) patients (10.4%) took vitamin-K-antagonists prior to endovascular treatment. Anticoagulation status as measured with international normalized ratio was above 2...