Type of stroke location might be relevant to new treatment

Last week, we had a post about new stroke treatment. Not long afterward, I ran across another story about how - potentially - to decide on treatment. I might have to do with large-vessel strokes related to blood clots:

“There was some benefit of therapy up to 7 1/3 hours after onset — that’s an important new aspect,” Jeffrey L. Saver, MD, of David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, said in a press release. “If you get the artery open at 3 hours, 65% of patients will be able to live independently 3 months later. If it takes 8 hours to get it open, then only 45% will be able to live independently. It makes a major difference in outcome.”

Speed and the right place - more important than ever

Sooner the treatment, better the outcome.

You've read this before here - time is critical in getting a stroke patient to a stroke center hospital. Every minute counts.

You've also read about recent research on new stroke treatment. Now, read about how the new treatment calls for getting to the right place quickly:

That’s the implication of a study published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association that found that the sooner patients with severe strokes receive a thrombectomy, the less disabled they tend to be three months later.

Best stroke outcome still comes down to speed, it seems

When the drug tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) came along, we've heard time and again that speed is vital for improved outcomes for stroke patients.

Now, with other tools becoming available, it seems that the rule of speed still applies. The most recent example comes from an article about three keys to blazing fast thrombectomy:

Reduced disability with mechanical clot removal for large-vessel ischemic strokes -- as consistently seen across recent trials -- gave a clear mandate for use but also re-emphasized the need for speed.

"It's all about timing," said Patrick Lyden, MD, director of the stroke program at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles.

Read the whole story about the three keys. And remember - if you or someone you care about exhibit stroke signs, get to care. Fast.