Baseline characteristics of all 356 patients with AIS included in the HEBRAS study (‘whole cohort’) and the subgroup of 191 patients undergoing brain imaging, stroke unit or Holter-ECG monitoring >24 hours, imaging of extracranial and intracranial brain-supplying arteries and echocardiography (TTE and/or TEE) according to routine diagnostic care as well as completed enhanced diagnostic workup (‘ESUS cohort)
| Whole cohort (n=356) | ESUS cohort (n=191) | |
| Female sex | 134 (37.6) | 68 (35.6) |
| Age (years) | 66 (±12) | 63 (±12) |
| Length of in-hospital stay (days) | 5 (4–6) | 5 (4–6) |
| NIHSS on admission | 2 (1–4) | 2 (0–3) |
| mRS on admission | 2 (1–3) | 2 (1–3) |
| Barthel Index on admission | 100 (75–100) | 100 (80–100) |
| Intravenous thrombolysis | 66 (18.5) | 35 (18.3) |
| Diabetes mellitus | 65 (18.3) | 35 (18.3) |
| Arterial hypertension | 212 (59.6) | 98 (51.3) |
| High blood lipids | 125 (35.1) | 69 (36.1) |
| Current tobacco use | 96 (27.0) | 49 (25.7) |
| Previous ischaemic stroke or TIA | 58 (16.3) | 26 (13.6) |
| Coronary artery disease | 42 (11.8) | 26 (13.6) |
| Prior myocardial infarction | 31 (8.7) | 16 (8.4) |
| Chronic heart failure | 7 (2.0) | 2 (1.0) |
| Oral anticoagulation on admission* | 6 (1.7) | 2 (1.1) |
| Antiplatelet(s) on admission | 114 (32.0) | 59 (30.9) |
| Acetylsalicylic acid | 97 (27.2) | 50 (26.2) |
| Clopidogrel | 11 (3.1) | 6 (3.1) |
| Dual antiplatelets† | 6 (1.7) | 3 (1.6) |
| Beta blocker on admission | 100 (28.1) | 48 (25.1) |
| ACE inhibitor on admission | 64 (18.0) | 28 (14.7) |
| Angiotensin II receptor antagonist on admission | 73 (20.5) | 38 (19.9) |
| Calcium channel blocker on admission | 65 (18.3) | 32 (16.8) |
| Statin on admission | 98 (27.5) | 52 (27.2) |
Data are given as mean (±SD), median (IQR) or n (%).
*Reasons for OAC on admission: known left ventricular aneurysm (phenprocoumon); known intraventricular cardiac thrombus (phenprocoumon); prior myocardial infarction with apical akinesia (phenprocoumon); recent deep venous thrombosis (rivaroxaban), recent pulmonary embolism (rivaroxaban n=1; phenprocoumon n=1).
†ASA+clopidogrel n=4, ASA+ticagrelor n=1, ASA+dipyridamol n=1.
ESUS, embolic stroke of undetermined source; mRS, modified Rankin scale; NIHSS, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale; TEE, transesophageal echocardiography; TIA, transient ischaemic attack; TTE, transthoracic echocardiography.