But when used properly, TPA has been found to lead to a 30 percent increase in the number of stroke patients who make a very good recovery, with little or no disability three months later. With stroke the leading cause of long-term serious disability in the United States, TPA promised a big improvement in its treatment. And it's not hard to imagine all those extra people being able to return to their families, return to their jobs, return to productive lives . . . I think the results are really quite staggering. TPA has changed stroke prognosis.
Time is of the essence in stroke cases.
But despite its potential, few stroke patients have been able so far to use TPA largely because of the three-hour limit. With a stroke, people often fail to realize what is happening until hours have passed. Or they may be sleeping when it occurs. Timing aside, TPA is good for only some patients. The best candidates are relatively young, otherwise healthy people who do not have very high blood pressure or a history of stroke or bleeding problems and whose stroke is of moderate severity.