As few studies have reported the impact of lower left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) on the prognosis of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients, we aimed to explore this through a retrospective cohort study and a meta-analysis. A total of 283 AIS patients receiving intravenous thrombolysis at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University between 2016 and 2019 were enrolled and divided into three groups based on LVEF tertiles. The logistic regression model estimated the association between LVEF and the three-month AIS prognosis. After adjusting for confounding factors, patients in tertile 3 exhibited an increased risk of poor functional outcome and mortality [odds ratio (OR), 2.656 (95% CI: 1.443-4.889); OR, 7.586 (95% CI: 2.102-27.375)]. A systematic search of PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane Library was performed. Our meta-analysis revealed that LVEF < 40% was significantly associated with poor functional outcome [OR 1.94 (95% CI: 1.08-3.50)], mortality [OR 3.69 (95% CI: 1.22-11.11)], as well as LVEF < 55% [OR 1.68 (95% CI: 1.22-2.32); 2.27 (95% CI: 1.30-3.96)], respectively. A decreased LVEF could predict an inferior prognosis for AIS; therefore, it could aid in clinical decision-making in this patient population.
Keywords: Left ventricular ejection fraction; acute ischemic stroke; cardioembolic stroke; meta-analysis; prognosis.