Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Background: While the intensive care of patients with life-threatening brain illnesses has advanced tremendously, a large number of therapies are still without proper scientific support. This can be partly explained by the fact that mechanisms of initial brain injury are still not well understood. Why additional neurological injury occurs during a patient's stay in the NeuroCritical Care Unit (NCCU) despite current best, evidence-based clinical practices, is also not well understood. However, over the past decade, better tools have become available to measure and monitor the impact of our clinical care on the rapidly changing physiology and chemistry of the injured brain. Some of these tools are CT, MRI, ultrasound, and catheter-based technology measuring blood flow and metabolism. These tools have enabled earlier detection of injury and complications and newer therapeutic strategies. Purpose: Examine disease pathways common to all brain injuries seen in the University of Maryland's 22-bed NCCU. Life-threatening neurological illnesses cared for in the NCCU include massive stroke, bleeding in and around the brain (subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracerebral hemorrhage, subdural hemorrhage, intraventricular hemorrhage), brain tumors, difficult to control seizures, neurologic infections, nerve and muscle diseases (such as myasthenia gravis or Guillain-Barre Syndrome), and spinal cord disorders among others. Many NCCU patients are comatose or paralyzed and may suffer injuries in other parts of the body as well. This effort will require the creation of a robust clinical database for the capture of data including patient characteristics (age, sex), clinical characteristics, medical treatments, surgical interventions, physiological data (such as vital signs, cerebral blood flow, intracranial pressure, cerebral oximetry, etc), laboratory data, and standard-of-care diagnostic studies such as electroencephalography (EEG), ultrasound, CT, MRI, and angiograms. Similar databases exist at other major centers for neurocritical care and have been instrumental to the identification of characteristics both predictive of and associated with outcomes of patients long after their stay in the NCCU. In addition, the samples collected will be included in the University of Maryland Medicine (UMM) Biorepository which is a shared resource to enable biomedical research by University of Maryland faculty.

The aim is to compare the rate of hypertensive subjects with ICH who reach SBP target with stability within 60 minutes of enrollment, among patients treated with IV clevidipine with those treated with alternate IV antihypertensive regimen.

This is a single-center, investigator-initiated, prospective observational case-control study. Patients with intracerebral hemorrhage and healthy controls will be enrolled at Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University. Peripheral venous blood samples will be collected for measurement of CIRP, Cathepsin B, and related inflammatory biomarkers. Clinical and imaging data will also be collected in the intracerebral hemorrhage group. The study aims to compare biomarker levels between patients with intracerebral hemorrhage and healthy controls and to explore the potential role of these biomarkers in neuroinflammation after intracerebral hemorrhage. No investigational treatment will be administered.

The goal of this observational study is to quantify the real-world effect of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) in patients with acute spontaneous supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage.

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether a bladder temperature monitoring-guided targeted temperature management (TTM) strategy improves functional recovery in patients with severe intracerebral hemorrhage, compared to conventional temperature monitoring. It will also assess the safety of this monitoring approach. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does continuous bladder temperature monitoring-guided TTM improve the likelihood of a favorable functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale score 0-2) at 180 days after onset? * What medical problems (such as infections, shivering, deep vein thrombosis, or sepsis) do participants experience while under the TTM strategy? Researchers will compare the intervention group (using continuous bladder temperature monitoring) with the control group (using conventional intermittent temperature monitoring with a mercury thermometer at the armpit) to see if the bladder temperature-guided TTM strategy leads to better outcomes. Participants will: * Be randomly assigned to one of the two temperature monitoring strategies * Receive standard medical and surgical care for severe intracerebral hemorrhage

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a devastating form of acute stroke with poor clinical outcomes. Although ICH accounted only for 28.8% of incident strokes, it was responsible for nearly half of the long-term burden of stroke measured in disability-adjusted life years . In contrast to the improving outcomes seen in ischemic stroke with advances in reperfusion therapy, outcomes of patients with ICH have shown little progress over the past two decades. Current standard care focuses primarily on blood pressure control and supportive management, yet rate of functional independence remained modest. Randomized evidence suggested that fewer than half of the ICH patients achieved independent activities of daily living even with intensive blood pressure lowering. A cascade of pathophysiological events is thought to determine the prognosis of ICH. First, the mass effect of the hematoma and its expansion with uncontrolled blood pressure cause primary neuronal injury. Second, neuroinflammation involving blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction, activated microglia and astrocytes, together with neutrophil infiltration in response to extravascular blood, propagates neuronal injury, leading to perihematomal edema. Third, the direct neurotoxicity of blood breakdown products and oxidative stress may further amplify neuroinflammation. Mitigating hematoma expansion through intensive blood pressure control therefore only addresses one of these three pathophysiological processes, and is constrained by a short treatment window, mostly within 6 hours. Therapeutic strategies targeting secondary neuroinflammation should therefore be actively pursued. In addition, multimodal studies incorporating longitudinal imaging and omics markers are needed to elucidate the key pathways mediating neuroinflammation following ICH. Recent preclinical evidence suggests that glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) may offer neuroprotective benefits in ICH. In animal models of ICH, intracerebroventricular liraglutide suppressed neuroinflammation, prevented brain edema, and reduced neurologic deficits. Previous work from our group has also shown that, across several animal models, GLP-1RA attenuates BBB dysfunction and suppresses neuroinflammatory signaling via microglial modulation. Importantly, a recent translational clinical trial by our team has also provided preliminary evidence that GLP-1RA exerts neuroprotective effects in patients with large vessel occlusion strokes. We therefore hypothesize that compared to standard therapy, administration of GLP-1RA in patients with primary ICH may limit perihaematomal edema, reduce secondary brain injury, and improve neurological outcomes. In this phase 2, randomized, open-label pilot study with blinded endpoint assessment, we aim to determine the safety and signals for efficacy of GLP-1RA in patients with primary ICH.

This prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of initiating direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in patients with a history of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) who have recently suffered an acute ischemic stroke. Existing evidence regarding the optimal antithrombotic strategy for this specific high-risk "double-jeopardy" population remains largely undefined. Eligible participants will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either receive oral anticoagulation therapy or a non-anticoagulation standard of care. The primary objective is to assess the incidence of a composite endpoint consisting of recurrent ischemic stroke and recurrent ICH over a 12-month follow-up period.

Spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) accounts for approximately 10-15% of all strokes but stands for 50% of stroke-related morbidity and mortality. Approximately half of all patients with ICH have a decreased level of consciousness at hospital admission. Despite this, intensive care and neurosurgical interventions are uncommon. A study conducted in low- and middle-income countries has demonstrated a beneficial effect of a treatment package consisting of early intensive blood pressure lowering, as well as the treatment of pyrexia and elevated blood glucose levels. The I-CATCHER team is now planning to conduct a similar study in Sweden and Australia, as well as in other high-income countries. The study has a clear focus on implementation, aiming to improve treatment and prognosis for patients with ICH within a few years. The purpose of I-CATCHER is to investigate whether a structured treatment package (Care Bundle) improves 3-month prognosis in patients with spontaneous ICH compared to standard care.

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is associated with high mortality and long-term disability, and effective treatment options remain limited. Minimally invasive surgical approaches combined with local administration of thrombolytic agents have been investigated to facilitate hematoma evacuation; however, incomplete clot removal remains frequent, particularly in patients with conditions associated with increased hemorrhagic risk. This observational, cross-sectional study uses an ex vivo model of clinically sized intracerebral hematomas generated from whole blood samples collected from control subjects without hemorrhagic risk and from individuals with predefined hemorrhagic risk profiles, including conditions associated with antithrombotic treatment, inherited bleeding disorders, thrombocytopenia and situations involving reversal or correction of coagulation abnormalities. Using standardized ex vivo hematoma formation and catheter-based administration of modified Tissue Plasminogen Activator (rtPA), the study will characterize clot structure, composition, and permeability across hemorrhagic risk conditions. The study will then determine personalized dosing regimens of modified rtPA in conditions where thrombolytic activity differs from reference values observed in healthy control samples treated with a standard dose. Finally, the thrombolytic activity of personalized dosing regimens will be evaluated by measuring hematoma weight reduction 9 hours after treatment and compared with predefined efficacy and safety reference boundaries. The results of this study are intended to improve understanding of the ex vivo thrombolytic performance of modified rtPA across different hemorrhagic risk contexts and to support future translational and clinical research in intracerebral hemorrhage.

The overall objective of the study is to prospectively validate the diagnostic accuracy of the Stroke Mimics Score (SMS). This score is calculated using information collected at the time of the patient's arrival in the Emergency Department (triage) and may assist clinicians in distinguishing between: 1. cerebrovascular events (ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, and transient ischemic attack \[TIA\]), 2. stroke mimics (i.e., conditions that present with stroke-like symptoms but without actual infarction of brain tissue). In addition, the study aims to compare its results with other existing tools and to evaluate its performance across different patient groups. Specifically, the present research seeks to generate data on the reliability of the SMS tool in providing an accurate diagnosis.

Primary Aim: To determine if apixaban is superior to aspirin for prevention of the composite outcome of any stroke (hemorrhagic or ischemic) or death from any cause in patients with recent ICH and atrial fibrillation (AF). Secondary Aim: To determine if apixaban, compared with aspirin, results in better functional outcomes as measured by the modified Rankin Scale.

In this prospective, multicenter study of patients with acute spontaneous supratentorial Intracerebral Hemorrhage (ICH), each participant will have a standardized multimodal evaluation of neuroinflammation at 10 (±2) days after onset including translocator protein 18 kDa (TSPO) positron emission tomography (PET) using 18F-DPA-714 radioligand, BBB imaging using Dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE)-MRI and a panel of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory plasma biomarkers.

The aim of the project is to collect pre-procedural CT scans, intra-procedural post-evacuation scans as well as immediate post-procedural CT scans to evaluate and collect feedback of two Siemens prototypes: 1) perfusion prototype and 2) automatic hemorrhage detection prototype. The assessment of the prototypes, including its features will focus on the feasibility, usefulness as well as the potential clinical value add in minimally invasive ICH treatment.

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the most deadly and debilitating form of stroke. To date, effective treatment that could improve the functional outcome of ICH remained elusive. In a mice model of ICH, it was demonstrated that high dose Vitamin D (VitD) treatment enhanced hematoma resolution by promoting reparative macrophage differentiation and improved neurobehavioral performance in mice. Hence, this pilot study aimed to investigate the feasibility and safety of VitD treatment for ICH in human subjects. VICToHR is a prospective, randomized, open-label, blinded-endpoint (PROBE) trial. Participants will be randomized 1:1 to receive either VitD or standard care (control). The intervention group will receive VitD 4000 IU daily for 2 weeks, followed by 1000 IU daily for 24 weeks. The primary outcomes are the rate of hematoma resolution at 14 days and the incidence of hypercalcemia and VitD toxicity. Hematoma volume will be assessed by a neuroradiologist who is blinded to treatment allocation.

The overall purpose of this study is to look at the safety and effectiveness of administering Tenecteplase (TNK) into the brain bleed (hematoma) instead of another clot-dissolving drug known as recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA), which is the current standard practice. Clot dissolving (Fibrinolytic) drugs work to break down blood clots and have been found to improve health outcomes when applied directly into the hematoma within the brain. Patients who take part in this study will undergo the same surgical procedure that would normally be performed to treat them, but with the exception of TNK not rtPA.

The effectiveness of traditional craniotomy in the treatment of intracerebral hemorrhage remains controversial. Minimally invasive surgery, specially, image-guided hematoma aspiration, proves to be effective and may have some advantages compared with craniotomy. This multicenter randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate and compare the clinical efficacy of two minimally invasive treatment strategies for patients with spontaneous supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) with moderate hematoma volume (20-50 mL): (1) AI-assisted, navigation-guided hematoma aspiration, and (2) targeted pharmacological therapy. This study is designed to address the current lack of prospective comparative evidence between advanced image-guided surgical intervention and medical management in this specific patient population. By focusing on functional recovery, hematoma resolution, and safety outcomes, this trial seeks to provide high-quality evidence to guide treatment decision-making and optimize individualized care for patients with spontaneous ICH.

The objective of the rFVIIa for Acute Hemorrhagic Stroke Administered at Earliest Time (FASTEST) Trial is to establish the first treatment for acute spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) within a time window and subgroup of patients that is most likely to benefit. The central hypothesis is that rFVIIa, administered within 120 minutes from stroke onset with an identified subgroup of patients most likely to benefit, will improve outcomes at 90 days as measured by the Modified Rankin Score (mRS) and decrease ongoing bleeding as compared to standard therapy. FASTEST Part 2 is an extension of the FASTEST Trial where the subgroups include those treated within 2 hours with a positive spot sign on a baseline CT angiogram or patients treated within 90 minutes of stroke onset, with or without a positive spot sign.

This is a prospective, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. It aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of oral minocycline in patients with acute spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage within 48 hours of onset.

The SATURN trial aims to determine whether continuation vs. discontinuation of statin drugs after spontaneous lobar intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the best strategy; and whether the decision to continue/discontinue statins should be influenced by an individual's Apolipoprotein-E (APOE) genotype. An MRI ancillary study (SATURN MRI), in a subset of SATURN participants , will evaluate the effects of continuation vs. discontinuation of statin drugs on hemorrhagic and ischemic MRI markers of cerebral small vessel disease, and whether the presence/burden of hemorrhagic markers (i.e. cerebral microbleeds and/or cortical superficial siderosis) on baseline MRI influences the risk of ICH recurrence on/off statin therapy.

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is one of the stroke subtypes with the highest global rates of disability and mortality, accounting for 15%-20% of all strokes. Currently, there is a lack of evidence-based interventions for ICH, with treatment primarily relying on supportive care. There is an urgent clinical need to explore new strategies and technologies. The investigators hypothesize that for ICH patients, best medical treatment combined with a non-invasive ultrasonic scalpel (ultrasound Doppler flow analyzer) may be superior to best medical treatment alone. The primary objective of this study is to determine the safety and efficacy of the non-invasive ultrasonic scalpel in promoting hematoma clearance in ICH patients.

This is an open-label, dose-escalation study on the safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy for preventing stroke-associated pneumonia of propranolol in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage. Propranolol is administered via intravenous pump continuously for 7 days.

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) demonstrate a substantial benefit from oral anticoagulant drugs for the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF). However, these RCTs excluded patients with prior intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH). Therefore, guidelines are unable to recommend whether oral anticoagulant drugs, in particular non-vitamin K antagonist (called direct OAC) - can be used for patients with AF after an intracerebral haemorrhage. Roughly 30% of adults with ICH have AF but in 2017 it remains unclear whether they should start oral anticoagulant drugs, be treated with left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) or avoid anticoagulation and LAAC.

The objective of this randomized clinical trial is to evaluate the safety and efficiency of different anticoagulation schemes with heparin for venous thromboembolism prevention in patients with hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage. The main questions it aims to answer are: * What is the optimal time for the beginning of anticoagulation with heparin to efficiently prevent venous thromboembolism in patients with hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage? Early beginning (within the first 2 days but not earlier than 12 hours after the admission of a patient) or delayed beginning (on the third day after the admission of a patient)? * Which of the two timeframes (early or delayed) for anticoagulation beginning is the most safe in terms of bleeding complications including intracerebral hemorrhage expansion? Researchers will compare the results of early and delayed start of anticoagulation using heparin in patients with hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage to define the optimal start time for anticoagulation that provides the most favourable efficiency/safety profile. Participants will: * Undergo a computed tomography (CT) scan of the brain on hospital admission and then 12-24 hours after the hospital admission and 24 hours after the beginning of venous thromboembolism prophylaxis using heparin; * Undergo the ultrasound examination of lower extremity deep veins on hospital admission and then once every 7 days; * Receive prophylactic doses of low molecular weight heparin or unfractionated heparin either beginning within the first 2 days but not earlier than 12 hours after the hospital admission or starting on the 3rd day after the hospital admission.

TIME-ICH (TrIal of early Minimally Invasive catheter Evacuation with thrombolysis in IntraCerebral Hemorrhage) is a multicenter, randomized, adaptive clinical trial comparing best medical management to early minimally invasive surgery with thrombolysis (eMIST) in the treatment of acute spontaneous supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage.

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the second most common form of stroke, with an incidence of around 3000 cases per year in Hong Kong. Although it only accounts for around 20-30% of all strokes, ICH is the most severe form of stroke, contributing to 50% of all stroke mortality and the greatest disability burden in stroke. For those who survive their ICH, they are at high risk of ICH recurrence, stroke, cardiovascular event and death. Hence, reducing these risks after ICH is a top priority to lessen the disease's healthcare and social burden. Hypertension is the main driver for ICH, and achieving blood pressure (BP) control significantly reduces the risk of recurrent ICH, stroke and cardiovascular events. However, only 50% of ICH survivors achieved BP control after ICH. This is because ICH patients represent a unique hypertensive population with more difficult-to-control BPs, with many requiring ≥3 antihypertensive medications. Many reasons contribute to uncontrolled hypertension, but inadequate prescription of medication is the most actionable cause. The notion of an upfront prescription of a triple antihypertensive regimen (triple pill) soon after ICH could consequent better BP control, but there are concerns of excessive lowering of BP, particularly in older patients, which has been associated with increased mortality. This approach may also not be suitable for ICH patients with cerebral amyloid angiopathy where the elevated admission BP may be due to acute hypertensive response rather than underlying hypertension. Additionally, the general use of upfront triple pill in all ICH would have healthcare implications, as triple pills are more expensive compared to conventional antihypertensive medications. To facilitate individualized treatment, a predictive score, the TRICH score, was recently developed and validated to identify patients who require triple pills after ICH. Therefore, the current TRIACT study aims to test the clinical application and benefit of the TRICH score for the upfront prescription of triple antihypertensive medication after ICH to enable prompt achievement of BP control.