TPA After Stroke

AHA/ASA Science Advisory Recommends Use of tPA Between 3 and 4.5 Hours After Stroke

May 28, 2009 — A new science advisory from the American Heart Association (AHA)/American Stroke Association (ASA) has given the green light to the use of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) to treat acute ischemic stroke between 3 and 4.5 hours after symptom onset.
However, the advisory, published online May 28 in Stroke, still emphasizes that time is of the essence when it comes to treatment of stroke.

"Although a longer time window for treatment has been tested formally, delays in evaluation and initiation of therapy should be avoided," the authors stress. The writing group is chaired by Gregory J. del Zoppo, MD, from the University of Washington, in Seattle.

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Susan Jeffrey
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/703524_print
http://stroke.ahajournals.org/cgi/reprint/40/7/2433
http://stroke.ahajournals.org/cgi/reprint/40/7/2295
http://stroke.ahajournals.org/cgi/reprint/STROKEAHA.107.181486
http://stroke.ahajournals.org/cgi/reprint/STROKEAHA.109.192535v1.pdf