Arriving at the hospital more than three hours after stroke symptom onset is the biggest reason for t-PA ineligibility.
BOSTON—The number of patients with ischemic stroke who receive t-PA has increased during the past several years, but is still low, according to data presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Neurological Association. The main reason for the low treatment rate is that few patients are eligible to receive t-PA, and some neurologists believe that the exclusion criteria for t-PA may need to be revisited, said Dawn Kleindorfer, MD.
The certification of hospitals as primary stroke centers is associated with increased rates of t-PA treatment, said Dr. Kleindorfer, Professor of Neurology at the University of Cincinnati, who conducted several epidemiologic studies to identify trends in the management of acute stroke. Intra-arterial therapy is increasing at a faster rate than IV therapy, she added, but the former treatment has not been shown to be superior to the latter.
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