Synonyms
Clot buster; rTPA
Definition
Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rTPA) is a pharmaceutical agent that converts plasminogen to plasmin, which is an enzyme that normally destroys thrombi (clots). The medication is used in emergency management to treat ischemic stroke during the acute stage. By breaking the thrombus that occludes the vessel causing the stroke, rTPA restores blood flow to the affected area and reduces or prevents brain damage and the accompanying neurological manifestations of stroke. It is effective only when it is administered immediately (i.e., within the first few hours after the onset) following the onset of stroke.
Current Knowledge
A large multicenter trial, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and published in 1996, demonstrated that appropriately selected patients treated with rTPA within 3 h of the onset of symptoms had a 30% increased likelihood of minimal or no disability and a 4% reduced risk of mortality at 90 days poststroke. Later...
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Roth, E.J. (2018). Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_2206
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_2206
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Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
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Online ISBN: 978-3-319-57111-9
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