iData Research

Ischemic Stroke is caused by an obstruction within a blood vessel that is supplying blood to the brain. This is often caused by blood clots but can also be caused by other substances like plaque. The gold standard treatment for strokes for many years has been the administration of clot dissolving or clot busting medication called tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). This type of drug must be administered as soon as possible, with a four hour window from symptom onset, to increase chances of recovery. A significant number of patients do not get to healthcare facilities quickly enough to meet that window and even some of those who do, later experience hemorrhagic complications from the medication. It is very effective for smaller clots but often fails to break up larger clots. Some patients cannot receive tPA, in which cases physicians rely on antiplatelet or anticoagulant medicine to ensure blood clots do not get larger.