A combined model incorporating baseline NIHSS, serum BNP, OTR, collateral status, and AF significantly improved overall classification performance, achieving an AUC of 0.907 (95% CI: 0.881–0.934, p < 0.001), with a sensitivity of 91.46% and specificity of 78.04% (Figures 2A,B). Here, NPPB is linked to atrial fibrillation.