Clot removal days after stroke helps patients recover in China
Chinese medical teams found that removing clots up to three days after a stroke helped many patients recover better than standard care alone.
Researchers studied 336 patients across thirty five centers who suffered from large vessel blockages. These blockages caused severe brain damage quickly after the event occurred suddenly in the group. They divided the group into two equal parts to compare treatments carefully.
Results showed that 49% of treated patients lived independently at ninety days compared to 35%. This is the percentage of those who received medication alone without intervention procedures.
Doctors used modified Rankin Scale scores to track disability levels. They found significantly better functional recovery among those who underwent the mechanical thrombectomy procedure successfully.
However added risks emerged because symptomatic brain bleeding occurred in 4.8% of treated patients. No such cases appeared in the control group receiving standard care alone.
The ninety day death rate was higher at 6.0% for treated patients. This rate was 1.8% for those who did not undergo the clot removal procedure at all.
This study suggests specialists should assess individual cases carefully rather than automatically ruling out clot removal. Doctors must weigh potential benefits against risks like bleeding while considering how much brain tissue remains salvageable after the initial ischemic event damages critical areas.