New treatment for strokes unveiled

CHANGHAI Hospital released a new research yesterday on a streamlined treatment for strokes that can improve efficiency and reduce costs for patients.

The research, led by Liu Jianmin, a neurosurgery professor with the hospital, compares the treatment named DIRECT-MT — to remove the clots formed in blood vessels directly — with the traditional method to firstly conduct intravenous thrombolysis — using medication to break down the clots.

The result means doctors can choose more suitable treatment for patients rather than stick to the traditional procedures. It can reduce the treatment process, save time and reduce cost for patients, according to the hospital.

According to the research, the streamlined method has the same effect and is as safe as the traditional way. The result of the research has been published on the New England Journal of Medicine.

Stroke has become the most fatal disease for adults in China. According to a research of the journal, the risk of stroke has reached 39.9 percent for Chinese people above 25 years old, far exceeding the average rate globally. The rate in China is also rising by 8.7 percent annually.

Intravenous thrombolysis remains the commonest treatment, but patients must be sent to hospital within 4.5 hours after the stroke. A standard treatment procedure is to conduct intravenous thrombolysis firstly and then remove the clots in blood vessels.

However, the death and disability rate of the standard treatment remains at 40 to 50 percent. The effect also varies depending on the timing of the patient’s delivery and the efficiency of the green channels at different hospitals.

Liu’s team began researching on the streamlined DIRECT-MT procedure in 2016 with European counterparts.

China’s first clinical research center was established in January 2018.

Researchers have screened 1,586 patients and selected 656 eligible cases.

A data research platform and a neural imaging lab were also established for the research in 2019.

“More international research results will be publicized in future to improve the stroke treatment guidance,” said Liu.