Effect of left ventricular ejection fraction Spectrum on 1‐Year mortality in patients with acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack

AIMS: We aimed to investigate the association of the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) spectrum with 1‐year clinical outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) or transient ischemic attack (TIA). METHODS: In a prospective registry for the Third China National Stroke Registry (CNSR‐III), AIS or TIA patients with echocardiography records during hospitalization were recruited. All LVEFs were categorized into intervals of 5% in width. The lowest and highest intervals are ≤40% and >70%, respectively. The primary outcome was all‐cause death at 1 year. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed to investigate the association between baseline LVEF and clinical outcomes. RESULTS: This analysis included a total of 14,053 patients. In total, 418 patients died during 1‐year follow‐up. Overall, LVEF ≤60% was associated with a higher risk of all‐cause death compared to LVEF >60%, independent of demographic and clinical characteristics (aHR 1.29 [95% CI 1.06–1.58]; p = 0.01). The cumulative incidence of all‐cause death was significantly different among the eight LVEF groups that survival declined successively with the decrease of LVEF (log‐rank p ≤ 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with AIS or TIA with decreased LVEF (≤60%) had a lower 1‐year survival rate after onset. LVEF 50%–60% even within the normal range, may still contribute to poor outcomes in AIS or TIA. Comprehensive evaluation of cardiac function after acute ischemic cerebrovascular disease should be strengthened.