Premium
Controversies in Health Care
Author(s) -
Hankey Graeme J
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1997.tb123193.x
Subject(s) - thrombolysis , medicine , stroke (engine) , ischaemic stroke , regimen , acute stroke , mortality rate , intensive care medicine , infarction , emergency medicine , pediatrics , myocardial infarction , tissue plasminogen activator , ischemia , mechanical engineering , engineering
Randomised controlled trials have shown that thrombolytic therapy for acute ischaemic stroke may reduce the rate of death and disability at three‐ or six‐month follow‐up, but may also increase the risk of haemorrhage and early death. Probable predictors of increased risk are severe neurological deficit and early signs of infarction on computed tomography, but these remain to be confirmed. More research is needed to determine which stroke patients will benefit from thrombolysis and the best regimen to use.