Ischemic stroke patients presenting in IV rTPA window period

Ischemic stroke is a major cause of neurological morbidity and mortality. It is extremely important to study the frequency of ischemic stroke patients presenting within window period and thus standing suitable for r-tPA as thrombolysis is an expensive medical intervention and is not available in any public sector hospital in Pakistan. The aim of this study was to determine frequency of ischemic stroke patients presenting within window period for intravenous thrombolysis with rTPA. Patients were evaluated for transferring time and the time lapse in hospital before starting treatment as pre-hospital and in-hospital delays are the major obstacles in achieving well-timed delivery of r-tPA. This study identified those patients likely to benefit from thrombolysis. At the same time it identified the time lags and delays from the time of onset of stroke to delivery of r-tPA. This would help formulate a stroke emergency pathway designed to treat as many patients as possible with the shortest possible lead times via time-effective thrombolysis. This would also nudge the healthcare decision makers to infuse some funding into this very vital prospect.