title: Antithrombotic trials in acute ischaemic stroke: a selective review.
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.
authors.affiliation: Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 1 Gustave Place Box 1137, New York, NY 10029, USA. kathleen.burger@mssm.edu
authors.forename: Kathleen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Burger
authors.forename: Stanley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tuhrim
mesh_terms: D000077284:Abciximab; D000721:Ancrod / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004333:Drug Administration Routes; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007140:Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments / Q000627:therapeutic use; D020521:Stroke / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000925:Anticoagulants; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents; D007140:Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments; D000721:Ancrod; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator; D000077284:Abciximab