title: [Intravenous thrombolysis for ischemic stroke: Experience in 54 patients].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Intravenous thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) reduces disability in patients with ischemic stroke. However, its implementation in Chilean public general hospitals has been slow and faces some difficulties.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the results of an intravenous thrombolysis protocol implementation in a public general hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  During a lapse of 28 months a standardized protocol for intravenous thrombolysis implemented in the emergency room of a public hospital, was prospectively evaluated. Fifty four patients with ischemic stroke were treated and assessed three months later as outpatients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At three months of follow-up, 66.4% of patients subjected to thrombolysis had a favorable evolution, defined as having 0 to 1 points in the modified Rankin scale. Intracerebral hemorrhage rate was 11.1%, including 5.5% of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage. Four percent of patients had systemic bleeding complications after thrombolysis. The mortality rate was 14.8%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The success rates, mortality, and complications rate were comparable to the results obtained in international studies, despite of the absence of a stroke unit to manage stroke and its complications.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guevara O
authors.forename: Kateryna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bulatova
authors.forename: Felipe
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aravena
authors.forename: Sheila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Caba
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Monsalve
authors.forename: Hugo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lara
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nieto
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Navarrete
authors.forename: Marcelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morales
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006779:Hospitals, Public; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator