Clot removal device dramatically improves outcomes for people with acute ischemic stroke

A new device to remove obstructing blood clots can significantly improve outcomes for people who suffer a certain type of stroke, according to a study led by a UCLA investigator. In patients with acute ischemic stroke — in which a clot blocks the blood supply to part of the brain — who received a clot-busting drug, removing the obstructing blood clot with a stent retriever device significantly reduced post-stroke disability and increased the percentage of patients who were independent in daily function after three months. The findings represent the first new treatment for acute ischemic stroke in 20 years, since the development of the clot-busting drug tPA, said Dr. Jeffrey Saver, the study’s global principal investigator and director of the UCLA Stroke Center.  “These findings are a paradigm shift — a new era in stroke care — and we are ecstatic,” said Saver, who is also a professor of neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. “We will be able to treat many more patients, who will have much better outcomes. This is a once-in-a-generation advance in acute stroke care.” The findings appear April 17 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study, called Solitaire With the Intention For Thrombectomy as PRIMary Endovascular Treatment (SWIFT PRIME), was conducted at 39 hospitals in the United States, Canada and Europe. The study enrolled 196 people. It was originally slated to enroll 833, but was halted early because of early positive results...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news