Is there a bad time for intravenous thrombolysis? The experience of Polish stroke centers.

Background And Purpose: The outcome in acute stroke strongly depends on patient-related issues, as well as on the availability of human and diagnostic resources. Our aim was to evaluate safety and effectiveness of intravenous alteplase for stroke according to the time of admission to the hospital.

Materials And Methods: We analyzed the data of all acute stroke patients treated with alteplase between October 2003 and December 2010, contributed to the Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis for Stroke registry from 27 Polish stroke centers.

Intravenous thrombolysis for acute ischaemic stroke in patients not fully adhering to the European licence in Poland.

Background And Purpose: The European licence for alteplase excludes from thrombolysis large groups of acute stroke patients. The Polish licence was revised in 2010, but until then many patients could receive the treatment only off-label. Our aim was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of intravenous alteplase in Polish patients not fully adhering to the original European drug licence compared to patients treated strictly on-label.