Therapy of Severe Ischemic Stroke: Breaking the Conventional Thinking

Abstract

Large hemispheric infarcts must be recognized in the emergency department as a life-threatening condition that requires prompt and massive intervention. After stabilization of the airway, breathing, and circulation, the initial diagnostic work-up and transfer to a neurointensive care unit should not be delayed. Today several new therapeutic options can be offered. Surgical decompression seems to be effective in lowering increased intracranial pressure, preventing transtentorial herniation and reducing mortality in patients with malignant middle cerebral artery infarction. Another option may be therapeutic hypothermia, which has been found to be neuroprotective in animal models, as well as in clinical studies after cardiac arrest. Experience in stroke patients suggest that hypothermia may offer a new approach for the treatment of acute cerebral ischemia.