Clot Removal Device Results in Dramatically Improved Stroke Outcomes

New research indicates that stroke victims given clot-dissolving drugs upon initial treatment, whose obstructing blood clots were physically removed using a stent retriever device (along with drug treatments) showed highly reduced long-term disability and improved chances of regaining full daily function. Researchers from the University of California in Los Angeles Stroke Center published their wide-scale study in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study, which detailed how the Solitaire stent retrieval device was tested in elective stroke patients, analyzed long-term success rates in order to determine if the procedure was worth the higher inherent risks compared to traditional drug treatments. The findings from the study showed that 60 percent of patients who had physical clot removal regained full independence, compared to 35 percent of those on drug-only treatments. “These findings are a paradigm shift, a new era in stroke care and we are ecstatic,” said the lead author. “We will be able to treat many more patients, who will have much better outcomes. This is a once-in-a-generation advance in acute stroke care.” To learn more about this study, click here.