BRAIN ATTACK - EMERGENCY TREATMENT OF ISCHEMIC STROKE

Thrombolysis has been demonstrated to be an effective treatment for is chemic stroke. The major obstacles to more widespread use of this ther apy are lack of awareness that the treatment is possible and the short (less than three hours) therapeutic window. Indiscriminant use of thi s therapy can lead to an unacceptably high rate of intracerebral hemor rhage. Early recognition of the onset of stroke, immediate transfer to a suitably equipped treatment facility and careful screening of a com puted tomographic scan of the head for signs of early infarction are n ecessary for the safe administration of intravenous thrombolysis.