Editor's Choice Main Category: Stroke Also Included In: Neurology / Neuroscience Article Date: 11 May 2012 - 12:00 PDT
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Findings from the study are based on 442 patients with the average age of 66, treated with endovascular therapy at 9 specialist (tertiary) stroke centers between September 2009 and July 2011.
Endovascular therapy breaks down clots without the need for surgery.
All study participants arrived at the centers within 8 hours of the start of their symptoms.
According to the researchers, all the patients stroke was caused by a blood clot in a major brain artery which cut off blood supply.
The team gathered data on risk factors likely to influence the success of treatment, such as high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure and abnormal heart rhythms (atrial fibrillation), as well as information on age and sex.
In addition, the researchers examined the size and location of the clot, how quickly treatment was administered, as well as how fast blood flow returned to normal (repercussion).
They found that it took on average 95 minutes from the start of treatment to completion of the procedure. After a CT scan of the brain was performed, a catheter was inserted through the groin and the clot buster drug was injected into the affected artery.
The team then set out to determine whether the stroke centers performed over 50 such procedures a year (high volume facilities).
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High Volume Stroke Centers Provide Faster Treatment And Have Superior Outcomes