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For patients with acute ischemic stroke, rapid treatment with thrombolysis is encouraged, because earlier treatment is associated with improved neurologic outcome and lower risk for symptomatic brain hemorrhage. However, whether earlier treatment affects longer-term outcomes is unclear. Investigators studied this question using the large U.S. Get With the Guidelines registry; Medicare patients treated for ischemic stroke from 2006 through 2016 were included. The primary study outcomes were all-cause mortality and hospital readmission at 1 year.
Overall, 61,426 patients (median age, 80) were included in the analysis. Atrial fibrillation and coronary artery disease were each present in 30% of patients, and 27% of patients had had a prior strok…