Andrea Janus, CTVNews.ca Published Wednesday, February 11, 2015 12:12PM EST Last Updated Wednesday, February 11, 2015 3:36PM EST
An international study led by Canadian researchers has confirmed the safety and efficacy of one of the most significant new treatments in decades, one that could dramatically improve outcomes for the 15 million people who suffer a stroke each year.
The clot retrieval procedure, known as endovascular treatment (ET), dramatically reduces disability and deaths in patients who have suffered an acute ischemic stroke. Such strokes are caused by a sudden blockage in an artery that deprives the brain of oxygen and glucose, and can lead to debilitating brain injuries.
The treatment reduced the mortality rate among study participants by 50 per cent, the study showed. The mortality rate among stroke patients who receive the standard treatment of care is two in 10. The mortality rate among patients who receive ET is one in 10.
Fifty-five per cent of the patients who received ET in the study went home without having suffered significant disability, co-principal investigator Dr. Mayank Goyal, professor of radiology and clinical neurosciences at the Cumming School of Medicine, told CTV News.
That compares to patients who did not receive ET in the study, with only 30 per cent of patients going home without disability, Goyal said.
ET could become an international standard of care for acute ischemic stroke patients within a year, Goyal said, adding that the incidences of side effects or complications were very low.
This is the most significant and fundamental change in acute ischemic stroke treatment in the last 20 years, senior study author Dr. Michael Hill, professor at the Cumming School of Medicines departments of clinical neurosciences and radiology, and a neurologist with the Calgary Stroke Program of Alberta Health Services, said in a statement.
The study combined with other research will result in a sea change in the way stroke is treated, Hill told CTV News.
This is a major evolution in stroke therapy for Canada and the world.
Originally posted here:
Canadian research confirms safety of new stroke treatment