Drug boosts stroke recovery
Without treatment, one third of people who suffer a stroke die, with another third left permanently dependent and disabled. Image: courtneyk/iStockphoto Patients given a clot-busting drug within six hours of a stroke are more likely to make a better recovery than those who do not receive the treatment, new research has found.The trial was set up in 2000 by the University of Sydney's Professor Richard Lindley, while he was employed at the University of Edinburgh.The study of more than 3000 patients is the world's largest trial of the drug rt-PA and was coordinated at the University of Edinburgh. Since coming to Sydney Medical School in 2003, Professor Lindley has continued as the co-principal investigator of the research.The findings of the study are published today in The Lancet, alongside an analysis of all other trials of the drug carried out in the past 20 years.The trial found that following treatment with the drug...