Emerging drugs for acute ischemic stroke.
Stroke is no longer an untreatable condition, and its management is changing rapidly as new developments appear for acute treatments. The objective of this article is to provide a concise introduction to the pathophysiology and existing treatments for stroke, as well as discussing current research goals and interventions under evaluation, along with potential development issues. It will end with the authors' interpretations of the presented material and their opinions about where the field is going, or should go, in the coming years. The material herein is derived from current literature and expert opinion. Overall, the most important findings are that future advances in stroke treatment will probably include combination therapies that will be administered in specialized stroke care units to maximize patient outcome.
Sicard
Kenneth M
KM
University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA.
Fisher
Marc
M
D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006757:Hospital Units / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D020521:Stroke / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents