Lancet
-
Multicenter Study
Association of outcome with early stroke treatment: pooled analysis of ATLANTIS, ECASS, and NINDS rt-PA stroke trials.
Quick administration of intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) after stroke improved outcomes in previous trials. We aimed to analyse combined data for individual patients to confirm the importance of rapid treatment. ⋯ The sooner that rt-PA is given to stroke patients, the greater the benefit, especially if started within 90 min. Our results suggest a potential benefit beyond 3 h, but this potential might come with some risks.