Anticoagulants for Acute Ischemic Stroke

Graeme J. Hankey MD, FRCP Section Editor: Anticoagulants could be of net benefit in patients with acute ischemic stroke if they reduce early recurrence of ischemic stroke and prevent venous thromboembolism without causing an excessive risk of intra- and extracranial bleeding. This review has been continually updated since it was first published in 1995.The objective of this study was to assess the effects of anticoagulant therapy compared with control in the early treatment of patients with acute ischemic stroke.To update a previous comprehensive search, we searched the Cochrane Stroke Group Trials Register (last searched October 2, 2007) and 2 Internet clinical trials registries for relevant ongoing studies (last searched October 2007).We selected randomized trials comparing early anticoagulant therapy (started within 2 weeks of stroke onset) with control in patients with acute presumed or confirmed ischemic stroke.Two review authors independently selected trials for inclusion, assessed trial quality, …