After a large vessel stroke, how long does a patient have to get treatment in order to prevent long lasting effects? A new study in JAMA found that a shorter time to treatment after a stroke is critical to having the best recovery.
Researchers from UCLA reviewed the outcomes of over 1200 patients experiencing acute ischemic stroke - some received standard medical therapy and others received standard therapy plus a thrombectomy device. The sooner the device, which pulls clots out of the affected artery, was used, the better the patient’s overall recovery.
The window to make a difference in clinical outcome was up to 7 1/3 hours, after which there was no clear benefit to treatment.