Improving our knowledge about the impact of restorative therapies employed in the rehabilitation of a stroke patient may help guide practitioners in prescribing treatment regimen that may lead to better post-stroke recovery and quality of life. Aims. To evaluate the neurological and functional recovery for 3 months after an acute ischemic stroke occurred within previous 3 months. To determine predictors of recovery. Design. Prospective observational registry

Hemorrhagic transformation is a potentially serious complication of an acute ischemic stroke (AIS). When a patient receiving chronic anticoagulation presents with a recurrent AIS, the decision to continue or withhold anticoagulation presents a challenging scenario to clinicians. Groot et al studied this question in the context of a post hoc analysis of the Preventive Antibiotics in Stroke Study. The authors compared 2 groups, continuation versus discontinuation of anticoagulation in patients with AIS, assessing 2 outcomes at 3 months: risk of major bleeding and thrombotic events. The sample included elderly patients with a commonly seen vascular risk factor distribution. Anticoagulant use at time of AIS was observed in 192 of 2101 patients (9%). Although all anticoagulant therapies were considered, most patients were treated with vitamin K antagonists (182, 95%) and the most common indication was atrial fibrillation (83%). Anticoagulation was discontinued in 35 of 192 (18%) patients, temporary in 24 of 35, and permanent in 11 of 35 patients. The main difference in baseline characteristics between the groups was stroke severity: median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score of 13 versus 4 in the discontinuation versus continuation groups, respectively. Anticoagulation was more frequently discontinued in patients with severe stroke (NIHSS score of >15) compared with mild to moderate (NIHSS score of ≤15), 52% versus 13%, respectively.