Thrombolytic therapy or tPA is effective in treating this type of stroke because it dissolves the clot causing the blockage and restores blood flow. This therapy can only be given safely within several hours of the onset of the attack, which makes time crucial to saving brain cells, said Dr. Richardson. Thrombolytic therapy is typically administered intravenously and the drug travels through the bloodstream to the stroke source. The George Washington University Hospital is one of several sites that recently participated a research study to determine whether administering the drug directly into the blocked artery was as effective in breaking up a clot causing a stroke. This may be even more effective in preventing further brain cell damage.
Doctors are now armed with effective treatments for stroke.
We have a brain attack team ready 24 hours a day to put treatment into action. Just as important, he says, is recognizing and treating the risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes,and high cholesterol and avoiding smoking.