The modern era of stroke treatment began 20 years ago today, with the publication of the NINDS tPA trial in The New England Journal of Medicine. Back in those days, stroke was not considered treatable, and there was no urgency attached to the care of stroke patients. A CT scan was not a test that … Read more
Atrial fibrillation is a type of irregular heartbeat that is quite common in the elderly. This condition results in the tendency for blood clots to originate in the heart and move into the brain, plugging blood vessels and causing a stroke. The strokes associated with atrial fibrillation tend to be large and severe. There are … Read more
A new study, by far the largest analysis of stroke treatment with a clot dissolving drug, demonstrates dramatically the importance of early stroke treatment. A team of physicians from the UCLA stroke center analyzed data from a national database on over 58,000 patients treated with the drug tPA, which is the only FDA approved medication … Read more
Although it has been known for some time that a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, and nuts was linked to heart health, a major study recently published lends stronger support to the dietary approach to prevention of cardiovascular disease. In a study of over 7000 people in Spain, followed for almost five years, there was … Read more
Stryker’s Wingspan stent is used to open narrowed arteries within the brain in patients who are experiencing repeated strokes. This is a serious condition with few treatment options. The device was originally approved by FDA in 2005 as a Humanitarian Use Device (HDE), a category for rare conditions. FDA has changed the labeling of this … Read more
