Clot-busting drugs help prevent disability after stroke, but few get the medications

Clot-dissolving medications can be given just after a stroke to break up the blood clot and restore blood flow and oxygen to the brain. That translates to a lower risk of permanently disability from the stroke. But fewer than 4% of people who have ischemic strokes are treated with tissue plasminogen activator -- called tPA, according to a new study.

The good news is that use of tPA has doubled in the last five years. Researchers from the University of Cincinnati looked at a database of hospital medical records to assess tPA use. In 2005, 1.1% to 1.4% of people suffering from an acute ischemic stroke received tPA. But the number rose to a range of 3.4% to 3.7% in 2009. A further review of the data to correct for errors brought a 2009 estimate of from 3.4% to 5.2% of patients. That means about 23,800 to 36,000 people out of 700,000 Americans who had an ischemic stroke in 2009 were given tPA.

The medication is most likely underutilized because it must be given as soon as possible -- ideally within three hours. That’s why doctors advise patients to call 911 if they think they are having a stroke. Some patients can be treated with tPA up to 4 1/2 hours after symptoms begin.

The study was published Thursday in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Assn.

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