Review: immediate antiplatelet therapy after acute ischaemic stroke reduces death or dependency and risk of recurrent stroke
P A Sandercock
Dr P A Sandercock, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK; peter.sandercock@ed.ac.uk
QUESTION
What is the efficacy and safety of immediate antiplatelet therapy after acute ischaemic stroke?
REVIEW SCOPE
Included studies compared antiplatelet therapy, including aspirin, abciximab, heparin, and ticlopidine (started within 14 d of stroke) with placebo or no treatment in patients with acute ischaemic stroke. Studies of antiplatelet therapy after primary intracerebral or subarachnoid haemorrhage, or drugs with multiple modes of action (eg, piracetam, prostacyclin, and oxpentifylline) were excluded. Outcomes included death or dependence on others for activities of daily living 1 month after stroke, all-cause mortality, deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, recurrent stroke, and intracranial and extracranial haemorrhage.
REVIEW METHODS
Medline, EMBASE/Excerpta Medica, …
