title: Thrombolysis after stroke hope for the future.
abstract: Over the past two decades, several prospective, randomized clinical trials have shown that thrombolytic therapy of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) decreases morbidity and mortality. The generally positive results have been tempered by a small, but clinically significant risk of potentially lethal intracerebral haemorrhage. Given that the pathogenesis of thrombotic stroke is similar to AMI, interest has recently turned to the use of the same drugs to "cure" stroke. The purpose of this paper is to develop a comprehensive position regarding neuroscience nursing roles concerning this new therapy. The importance of proactive public educational programmes and rapid and accurate patient identification derive directly from the pathogenesis of thrombotic stroke, and the pharmacology of the thrombolytic agents. Guidelines for drug preparation and administration and patient monitoring during treatment are developed from tested cardiovascular models.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Segatore
mesh_terms: D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy / Q000379:methods / Q000451:nursing