Endovascular therapy for acute ischemic stroke: The importance of blood pressure control, sedation modality and anti-thrombotic management to improve functional outcomes

Since 2015, endovascular therapy (EVT) following intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) is the gold standard treatment for patients suffering from acute ischemic stroke (AIS) due to an anterior large vessel occlusion (LVO). Despite high recanalization rates, nearly half of successfully treated patients remain dependent at three months. This result underlines that other factors may have a prognostic value, such as blood pressure (BP) management, the sedation modality and anti-thrombotic strategy during and after EVT. Extreme BP variations before and after recanalization are associated with worse outcomes. During EVT, BP variability is strongly associated with worse functional outcomes. Indeed, several studies have highlighted the deleterious impact of BP drops and hypotension duration on functional outcomes and final infarct volume. Interestingly, several studies have shed light on the potential value of an individualized BP management based on several baseline clinical or radiological parameters, such as the collateral status or the circle of Willis conformation. Such approaches are being investigated and could lead to a paradigm shift compared to the one-size-fits-all approach. After EVT, recent evidence suggests that an intensive systolic BP reduction (100–129 mmHg) does not reduce the occurrence of intracranial hemorrhage compared to the guideline-recommended systolic BP control (130–185 mmHg). Anesthetic management also seems to have a major impact on functional outcome. The latest studies suggest that general anesthesia may be associated with better functional outcomes and faster procedures and may have neuroprotective effects. However, further studies are needed in order to clarify the best anesthetic management for EVT. Finally, new anti-thrombotic treatments are increasingly used during EVT and are currently investigated to increase recanalization rates and improve reperfusion. However, the current literature is scarce regarding the association of IVT, EVT and antiplatelet therapy such as anti-GPIIbIIIa or P2Y12 inhibitors. These strategies raise several issues, such as an increase in intracranial hemorrhage rates.