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Several important large randomized trials that addressed early stroke treatment were published in 20l3.
Standard treatment of patients with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) includes aspirin given within 24 to 48 hours. To determine whether dual antiplatelet therapy might be better than aspirin alone, Chinese researchers conducted a randomized trial that involved 5170 patients with high-risk TIA or minor ischemic stroke (NEJM JW Neurol Jun 26 2013). Starting within 24 hours of symptom onset, one group received daily aspirin alone; the other group received aspirin plus clopidogrel for the first 21 days, followed by clopidogrel alone. At 90 days, new strokes had occurred in 8.2% of aspirin-clopidogrel patients and 11.7% of asp…