Three Ascension hospitals were part of a global study that found a more effective way to treat ischemic strokes.
The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, followed 352 patients with acute ischemic stroke across six countries. An ischemic stroke is the most common and occurs when a blood clot blocks or narrows an artery leading to the brain, according to a Feb. 10 Ascension news release. Half received mechanical thrombectomy — a procedure when physicians use devices to remove blood clots — and half received usual stroke care.
The study found 20 percent of patients in the thrombectomy group had functional independence at three months, compared to 7 percent in the control group. Mortality was similar in both groups, though in some cases thrombectomy was associated with vascular complications, the release said.