The impact of diastolic global longitudinal strain on stroke in patients with acute ischemic stroke

There is a bidirectional interaction between acute ischemic stroke and the cardiovascular system. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between diastolic global longitudinal strain (GLS)—a novel echocardiographic technique used to assess left ventricular diastolic function—and acute ischemic stroke. The study included 80 patients diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke and 45 control patients. The study was conducted prospectively. Echocardiography was performed within the first 72 hours after stroke onset, and GLS measurements were recorded. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory findings at admission were evaluated for both the patient and control groups. The mean age of the patient group was 69.15 ± 15.74 years, while that of the control group was 67.38 ± 11.54 years (p: 0.281). GLS values were significantly lower in both the patient group (-15.41% ± 3.60) and the control group (-10.70% ± 2.55) compared to the lower limit of normal GLS values reported in the literature (GLS lower limit = -18%). The GLS values were significantly higher in the stroke group compared to the control group (p < 0.001), while no significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of ejection fraction (EF) (p: 0.11). Acute ischemic stroke was identified as an independent predictor of increased GLS (B 3.761; 95% CI 1.995–5.527, p < 0.001) and higher GLS values were independently associated with favorable outcomes on the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) (p = 0.047). GLS is an echocardiographic parameter closely associated with vascular risk factors. Stroke was found to be an independent variable that increases GLS, and higher GLS values were identified as independent predictors of favorable clinical outcomes in stroke patients. These findings suggest that increased GLS may shed light on compensatory mechanisms aimed at preserving the penumbra in patients with ischemic stroke.