Do the dangers of using TPA apply to stroke victims?

I sent you an e-Alert last week (“Tick Tock” 6/19) about a widely used heart attack treatment called thrombolytic therapy that can be dangerous and even fatal for patients over the age of 75. This therapy is also used to increase blood flow for stroke victims. An HSI member named Fred V., who is a candidate for TPA (one of the common varieties of thrombolytics), sent an e-mail with a very important question. Fred writes:

“You pointed out the danger of using TPA for heart attacks in the elderly. Would the same be true for stroke? I don’t know if the dosage of TPA is the same for both. I’m interested because I’m 71, have carotid arteries that are 60 – 80% occluded, and have recently attended several lectures by doctors emphasizing the necessity of getting to the hospital as soon as possible after a stroke so that they can administer TPA within the 3-hour window.”

I’m not a doctor, so questions about specific treatments and dosages – especially concerning pharmaceuticals – are quite outside my ability to answer. But I applaud the fact that you’re taking such an active role in educating yourself about your medical condition and available treatments. So now that you’ve been to the lectures, I think it’s time to seek out some one-on-one advice from a doctor who is fully aware of the fact that any patient approaching the age of 75 has a serious contraindication of thrombolytic therapy. I recommend you bring a copy of last week’s e-Alert to a doctor you trust and ask him to review the actual study cited.

And when you receive an answer you feel you can trust, please let us know. And, of course, our thoughts and prayers are with you, Fred.

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute

 

 

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