Fifteen minutes may seem like an insignificant amount of time, but it can drastically change a stroke victim’s life. A new study reveals that following a stroke, for every 15-minute delay in the receipt of the clot-busting drug tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), a stroke survivor is robbed of a month of healthy, disability-free life.
According to lead author of the study, Atte Meretoja, M.D., Ph.D., M.Sc., “Clot-busting treatment works equally well, irrespective of race, ethnicity or gender. Speedy restoration of blood flow to the brain is crucial for brain cell survival everywhere.” This means that administering tPA quickly is vital to the stroke survivor’s quality of life post-stroke. In fact, the study also found that every minute the treatment was delivered faster gained patients an extra 1.8 days of healthy life.
Life post-stroke may be different for both the stroke survivor and his or her family, but it can still be fulfilling. Contact Heaven at Home of Denton to learn how our home care services can provide the care and attention your loved one deserves as well as the respite care you and other family caregivers need.