Antithrombotic trials in acute ischemic stroke: A selective review

Kathleen M. Burger, Stanley Tuhrim

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

Stroke is a common cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the US and the world. Given the highly disabling nature of this disease, it is important to provide acute therapy when indicated to improve individual outcomes. Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) is, at present, the only approved drug for the treatment of acute strokes due to cerebral ischaemia. It can be given intravenously within a 3-h window of the onset of neurological deficits. Intra-arterial administration of rt-PA within a 6-h window is performed at several academic centres in patients with middle cerebral and other intracranial artery occlusions based on results of a randomised clinical trial. Other thrombolytic agents are being studied in randomised trials. Although acute therapy of ischaemic stroke has received much attention since the approval of rt-PA, only a small percentage of individuals actually receive rt-PA. This article will review the main thrombolytic agents and the trials performed thus far, as well as examine some important ongoing trials. How administration of acute thrombolytic therapy may evolve in the future will also be addressed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)303-312
Number of pages10
JournalExpert Opinion on Emerging Drugs
Volume9
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2004

Keywords

  • Desmoteplase
  • Intra-arterial thrombolysis
  • Ischaemic stroke
  • Tissue plasminogen activator
  • Urokinase

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