Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke

Abstract

Ischemic stroke exacts a heavy toll in death and disability worldwide. In the United States, where it is the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of serious long-term disability, approximately 750,000 strokes occur annually, with an annual mortality rate exceeding 150,000.¹⁴ In June 1996, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) as a safe and effective treatment for stroke if it is given within three hours after the onset of symptoms of stroke.⁵ Subsequently, results of large clinical trials testing the efficacy of antiplatelet, antithrombotic, and neuroprotective treatments appeared. More recently, intraarterial . . .