Table 1.
Clinical characteristics of 88 critically ill cancer patients at the time of brain MRI for clinical suspicion of cerebral infarction in the ICU
| Characteristics | No. of patients (%) or median (IQR) |
|---|---|
| Age, years | 63 (53–69) |
| Gender, male | 51 (58) |
| Type of malignancy | |
| Solid tumor | 33 (38) |
| Hematologic | 55 (63) |
| Vascular risk factors | |
| Hypertension | 35 (40) |
| Diabetes mellitus | 20 (23) |
| Past and current smoking | 31 (35) |
| Ischemic heart disease | 3 (3) |
| Hypercholesterolemia | 5 (6) |
| Atrial fibrillation | 19 (22) |
| Alcohol abuse | 4 (5) |
| Family history of stroke | 7 (8) |
| Previous thrombotic event | 10 (11) |
| Ischemic stroke | 3 (3) |
| Myocardial infarction | 4 (5) |
| Deep vein thrombosis | 2 (2) |
| Pulmonary thromboembolism | 1 (1) |
| Neurological deficits | |
| Decreased mentality or delirium | 55 (63) |
| Hemiparesis | 28 (32) |
| Seizure | 20 (23) |
| Abnormal movement | 6 (7) |
| Anisocoric pupil or abnormal pupil reflex | 3 (3) |
| Abnormal respiratory pattern | 2 (2) |
| Other | 7 (8) |
| Time interval from ICU admission to brain MRI, days | 4.4 (1.1–12.4) |
| Recent chemotherapy | 44 (50) |
| Anticoagulation use | 20 (23) |
| Antiplatelet use | 3 (3) |
| DIC | 3 (3) |
| D-dimer levels (μg/mL) | 4.55 (2.66–11.15) |
| Fibrinogen | 327 (195–477) |
| CRP | 6.43 (3.29–15.95) |
| Procalcitonin | 1.05 (0.27–3.77) |
IQR interquartile range, ICU intensive care unit, MRI magnetic resonance imaging, DIC disseminated intravascular coagulation, CRP C-reactive protein