Loading...
Intravenous (IV) heparin as a treatment for acute ischemic stroke was controversial in the 1980s and 1990s. However, since then, a series of clinical trials showed that IV heparin did not improve long-term outcomes and was associated with an increased risk for cerebral and systemic bleeding. Subsequently published clinical guidelines did not recommend IV heparin for acute stroke.
These authors investigated secular trends in Korea in the use of IV heparin. A total of 23,425 patients with acute ischemic stroke were treated within 7 days after symptom onset between 2008 and 2013 at 12 stroke centers. In 2009, a Korean clinical practice guideline was published indicating that available evidence did not support the use of IV heparin in such patie…