New Stroke Approach To Preserve Function
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memorisz/iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — When strokes involve a clot in one of the brain’s blood vessels, what is known as an ischemic stroke, doctors give the clot-busting chemical tPA.
The chemical saves lives, but leads to only two in five people attaining functional independence.
A new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine shows that in addition to tPA, using special tools to manually remove the clot may save function in more patients.
The study was so positive that researchers said it was cut short so other patients could benefit from the approach.
In the multicenter study, UCLA researchers gave 196 people with ischemic stroke either tPA alone or tPA followed by a manual removal of the clot.
The group who had the clot removal had a 60-percent improvement in functional outcomes, while those getting tPA alone only saw a 35-percent improvement.
While clot removal is a procedure that can only be done at specialized centers under specific conditions, researchers said this could encourage more specialization in this specific technique.
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