According to statistics, every year stroke takes the life of more than 10 million people. A new study has shown that patients having stroke may suffer no or only slight impairment if they are given clot dissolving drugs within four and a half hours. Initially the useful limit for giving these drugs was 3 hours. 

This study was led by Professor Dr. Werner Hacke, Medical Director of the Neurology Clinic at Heidelberg University Hospital. 

For this study, researchers analyzed the data collected from 826 patients in 130 European stroke centres. These patients were given either the thrombolytic drug alteplase or a placebo between 3 and 4.5 hours after a stroke. Earlier CT scan had ruled out cerebral haemorrhage as a cause of the stroke. 

Analysis of data showed that 52 percent of the patients treated with alteplase responded well to the treatment and suffered no or only slight impairment whereas 45 percent while treated with placebo responded well to the treatment. Data analysis showed that the mortality rate was very low and identical in both groups (8 percent). 

From results of this study, researchers concluded that stroke patients could be treated with thrombolytic drugs even after three hours. 

Professor Hacke said that having more time does not mean that we can take more time. He added that patients with signs of a stroke should still be brought to the hospital and treated as soon as possible. Previous analyses clearly showed that patients respond best the earlier they received treatment. 

Professor Hacke said: “This study will have an impact on the entire field of stroke treatment. It has finally been demonstrated again that stroke can be treated and this will encourage many researchers and companies to continue to work in this field.” 

He added that these new insights will benefit tens of thousands of patients whose cerebral circulation could be restored.

The importance of European Cooperative Acute Stroke Study 3? (ECASS 3) lies in the fact that this study is just the second acute study ever to have a positive result for strokes as there had been no positive study on acute stroke therapy for more than 12 years.