Acetaminophen May Prove Beneficial for Stroke Recovery

Background: With acute strokes, there is often an early inflammatory response with elevated WBC count that has been linked to poor outcomes. Acetaminophen is often given to stroke patients for fever and pain. The effect of this medication given early post-stroke is inconclusive. Objective: To evaluate the association between early use of acetaminophen and clinical outcomes in patients admitted to the ICU for stroke. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: Data were obtained from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV database. Patients aged ≥18 years with acute stroke admitted to the ICU in the first 48 hours were included. Exclusions were a non-initial ICU admission, remaining in ICU Results: 1419 patients with ischemic stroke were identified after inclusion and exclusion criteria (839 with acetaminophen in the first 48 hours and 505 without). After PSM with all extracted covariates, there were 505 matched pairs. Most characteristics of the groups did not vary. T more...