A case control study of statin and magnesium administration in patients after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: incidence of delayed cerebral ischemia and mortality

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the effect of the implementation of statin and magnesium treatment on delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) and 14 day mortality in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). METHODS: Retrospective, single-center, observational case control study. One hundred SAH patients received either simvastatin and magnesium, solely statin or no treatment. RESULTS: Eighteen percent (n=5) of patients receiving statin and magnesium treatment developed a DCI whereas 24% (n=5) in the statin group and 16% (n=8) in the control group had DCI. Dead by day 14 was registered in 18% (n=5) of patients in the statin and magnesium group, in 10% (n=2) in the statin group and in 27% (n=14) in the control group. None of the results reached a statistical significance level of 0.05. CONCLUSION: A trend towards a lower mortality within 14 days in patients receiving solely simvastatin and those receiving statin and magnesium as compared with the control group was found. A higher incidence for DCI was found in the statin group, whereas patients without statin and magnesium tended to have less often DCI. None of the results was statistically significant