Newswise For years, the mantra of neurologists treating stroke victims has been "time equals brain." That's because getting a patient to the emergency room quickly to receive a drug that dissolves the stroke-causing blood clot can make a significant difference in how much brain tissue is saved or lost. But specific information has been limited on just how the timing of giving the intravenous drug known as a tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA influences outcomes for victims of ischemic (clot-caused), stroke, the most common type of stroke. Now, a team led by UCLA researchers has conducted a major study on the importance of the speed of treatment when using tPA, analyzing outcomes for more than 50,000 stroke patients and determining just how critical the time between the onset of stroke and the administering of treatment is. "We found that treatment time has a profound influence on outcome," said the study's first author, Dr. Jeffrey Saver, a professor of neurology and director of the UCLA Stroke Center. "The sooner treatment is started, the better. Beginning treatment earlier resulted in an improved ability to walk, the ability to remain living independently, less bleeding in the brain and reduced mortality." The team's findings … Continue reading →

E-mail this page to a friend! Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens Earlier Treatment of Seniors After Stroke Reduces Risk of Death, Increases Chance to Go Home For every 15 minutes gained, death and hemorrhage was less likely; going home in better shape more likely for these seniors with average age of 72 July 18, 2013 With all the promotion by the American Heart Association and others about the critical need for quick treatment after a stroke, it is not surprising that a large new study of senior citizens hit with acute ischemic stroke finds that thrombolytic treatment (to help dissolve a blood clot) that was started more rapidly after symptom onset was associated with reduced in-hospital deaths and intracranial hemorrhage and higher rates of independent walking ability at discharge and discharge to home. The study, which included nearly 60,000 patients with acute ischemic stroke, appears in the June 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The researchers found that for every 15-minute-faster interval of tPA therapy - mortality was less likely to occur, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage was less likely to occur, independence in ambulation at discharge was more likely to occur, and discharge to home … Continue reading →

Public release date: 18-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Mark Wheeler mwheeler@mednet.ucla.edu 310-794-2265 University of California - Los Angeles For years, the mantra of neurologists treating stroke victims has been "time equals brain." That's because getting a patient to the emergency room quickly to receive a drug that dissolves the stroke-causing blood clot can make a significant difference in how much brain tissue is saved or lost. But specific information has been limited on just how the timing of giving the intravenous drug known as a tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA influences outcomes for victims of ischemic (clot-caused), stroke, the most common type of stroke. Now, a team led by UCLA researchers has conducted a major study on the importance of the speed of treatment when using tPA, analyzing outcomes for more than 50,000 stroke patients and determining just how critical the time between the onset of stroke and the administering of treatment is. "We found that treatment time has a profound influence on outcome," said the study's first author, Dr. Jeffrey Saver, a professor of neurology and director of the UCLA Stroke Center. "The sooner treatment is started, the better. Beginning treatment earlier resulted in an improved … Continue reading →

Public release date: 18-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Kim Irwin kirwin@mednet.ucla.edu 310-794-2262 The JAMA Network Journals In a study that included nearly 60,000 patients with acute ischemic stroke, thrombolytic treatment (to help dissolve a blood clot) that was started more rapidly after symptom onset was associated with reduced in-hospital mortality and intracranial hemorrhage and higher rates of independent walking ability at discharge and discharge to home, according to a study in the June 19 issue of JAMA. "Intravenous (IV) tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) is a treatment of proven benefit for select patients with acute ischemic stroke as long as 4.5 hours after onset. Available evidence suggests a strong influence of time to therapy on the magnitude of treatment benefit," according to background information in the article. Imaging studies show the volume of irreversibly injured tissue in acute cerebral ischemia expands rapidly over time. "However, modest sample sizes have limited characterization of the extent to which onset to treatment (OTT) time influences outcome; and the generalizability of findings to clinical practice is uncertain." Jeffrey L. Saver, M.D., of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, and colleagues conducted a study to determine the association between … Continue reading →