Coagulation Functions Are Associated With Hemorrhagic Transformation in Non-Atrial Fibrillation Patients: A Case Control Study

Abstract Background: Hemorrhagic transformation (HT) is a serious neurological complication of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) after revascularization. The majority of AIS patients do not have atrial fibrillation (AF) which could also develop to HT. In this study, we aimed to explore whether coagulation parameters are risk factors of HT in non-AF patients.Methods: We consecutively enrolled 285 AIS patients with HT. Meanwhile, age- and sex-matched 285 AIS patients without HT were included. The diagnosis of HT was determined by brain CT or MRI during hospitalization. All patients were divided into two subgroups based on the presence of AF and explore the differences between the two subgroups. Blood samples were obtained within 24 hours of admission, and all patients were evenly classified into three tertiles according to platelet counts (PLT) levels.Results: In this study, we found the first PLT tertile (OR = 3.509, 95%CI = 1.268-9.711, P = 0.016) was independently associated with HT in non-AF patients, taking the third tertile as a reference. Meanwhile, we also found mean platelet volume (MPV) (OR = 0.605, 95%CI = 0.455-0.805, P = 0.001) and fibrinogen (FIB) (OR = 1.928, 95%CI = 1.346-2.760, P <0.001) were significantly associated with HT in non-AF patients. But in AF patients, coagulation parameters showed no significant difference. Meanwhile, we found the MPV (OR = 1.314, 95%CI = 1.032-1.675, P = 0.027) and FIB (OR = 1.298, 95%CI = 1.047-1.610, P = 0.018) were significantly associated with long-term outcomes in non-AF HT patients.Conclusions: Low PLT, low MPV and high FIB levels were independently associated with HT in non-AF patients. Additionaly, MPV and FIB levels were significantly associated with unfavorable long-term outcomes in non-AF HT patients. Our study showed that coagulation functions at admission may be beneficial for clinicians to recognize patients with high risk of HT at early stage and improve unfavorable long-term outcomes in non-AF patients.