Study: Stent May Assist in Faster Recovery Post-Stroke

Using a catheter to retrieve a blood clot after reopening the blocked blood vessel with a small stent helps patients recover faster from a severe stroke, according to a recent study.

“This study can have a major impact on the treatment of patients with an acute ischemic stroke (AIS),” said Diederik Dippel, MD, the lead author of the study and professor at Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam.
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“Many patients would be eligible for this new treatment method, potentially sparing a large number of patients from a life with serious disabilities,” he said.¹

For the study, researchers monitored 500 patients (mean age of 65 years) with AIS from 16 different participating healthcare centers. Researchers randomly assigned 233 participants to receive intra-arterial treatment. Of those participants, 190 underwent a stent procedure while 267 received standard care. ^1,2

Researchers randomized participants based on medical center, planned treatment method, strike severity (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score of ≤14 or >14), and intravenous alteplase use.²

According to researchers, approximately 90% of patients were administered alteplase before treatment initiated and within 6 hours of the onset of symptoms.

The study showed that patients using stent treatment had a quicker and better rate of recovery including less difficulty dressing, taking care of themselves, walking, and functioning in their daily activities compared to those who did not receive that treatment.¹

Further, researchers noticed that the patients who received stent treatment yielded less brain damage based on brain scans. ^1,2

The complete study is published in the December issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

-Michelle Canales

References:
1. Eramus MC. New stroke treatment prevents disability. December 18, 2014. www.erasmusmc.nl/corp_home/corp_news-center/2014/2014-08/katheter.verwijdert.bloedvat/?lang=en. Accessed December 19, 2014.

2. Berkhemer OA, Fransen PSS, Beumer D, et al. A randomized trial of intraarterial treatment for acute ischemic stroke. N Engl J Med. 2014 December [epub ahead of print] doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1411587.