It has become very accepted that there is a positive benefit to busting up clots in arteries causing strokes.
That’s the public perception.
Not so simple–the argument continues to rage in the Emergency Medicine community about the relative benefits, and the risks of Tissue Plasminogen Activator (TPA), the clot buster, which also causes bleeds that are very damaging to the brain too, even lethal, and not easy to stop or control from damaging brain. That’s called downside risk for sure.
Here is an observational study, by admission of the authors–so be cautious about assuming it is telling us something.
My friends in emergency medicine are still debating this after almost 20 years–does clot busting really do that much good and what about the horrendous bleeds, that are sometimes lethal and usually very damaging.
Wouldn’t it be nice if it was simple. Medical practices have their risks and benefits are never free. Or hardly ever–since to intervene is to create Bastiat’s unintended effects. Happens in Medicine just like economics.
This study is not good enough to settle anything.
http://acsh.org/2014/03/new-study-shows-important-rapid-stroke-treatment-prognosis/