AHA/ASA updates stroke treatment guidelines

The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association said today that it updated its treatment guidelines for patients suffering from ischemic stroke to include endovascular treatments.

The decision supports the use of stent retrieval, and other thrombectomy devices, used to remove clots in patients who have obstructions in the large arteries supplying blood to the brain according to a new focused update published in the American Heart Association journal Stroke.

The AHA/ASA said that optimal treatment still lies with the intravenous use of tissue plasminogen activators, used to break down clots, but recommends the use of retrieval devices in cases where obstructions continue after the medication has been administered.

“What we’ve learned in the last 8 months, from 6 new clinical trials, is that some people will benefit from additional treatment with a stent retrieval device if a clot continues to obstruct one of the big vessels after tPA is given,” update lead author Dr. William Powers of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill said in a press release.

The decision was based upon the results of randomized clinical trials, such as Penumbra‘s Mr Clean trial, published since 2013 when the last treatment guidelines were issued.

“We are pleased that the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association updated their acute ischemic stroke treatment guidelines to support the endovascular treatment of stroke patients. This is another step forward for those patients who can benefit from mechanical thrombectomy as shown by the landmark Mr Clean study and subsequent confirmatory trials that support endovascular treatment over medical management alone,” Penumbra CEO Adam Elsesser said in a press release.

The update suggests a preference for stent retrievers over other mechanical thrombectomy devices, but adds that the use of other devices may be reasonable based upon a physician’s clinical judgement.

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