A Novel Score to Predict Outcomes of Intravenous Thrombolysis

The only efficacious therapy available for patients with acute ischemic stroke is intravenous (IV) alteplase, when used up to 4.5 hours after symptom onset. However, only half of patients who receive thrombolytic therapy achieve recanalization, and only half of these have good long-term outcomes. No highly validated methodologies allow acute identification of patients who are most likely to have dismal outcomes despite thrombolysis, independent of hemorrhage. To develop an easy, practical scoring system using variables known to be associated with poor outcome, European researchers analyzed admission clinical data from patients who received thrombolysis up to 4.5 hours after an acute stroke.

In a cohort of 1319 patients, the investigators der…