2008 Volume 28 Issue 5 Pages 807-813
Among those patients with cerebral infarction who were brought to our emergency department from December 2005 through June 2007, 28 satisfied the criteria for indication for alteplase, recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) , and served as the subjects of this study. According to the treatment protocol that our group, led by neurologists, had prepared, 0. 6 mg/kg of rt-PA was administered following a CT of the head region that negated the presence of a brain hemorrhage. The time that elapsed between onset and rt-PA administration was 41-167 minutes (median 95) . For 24 hours after medication, the patients were placed under respiratory and circulatory care and their neurological performances were observed in an ICU or a neurological ward. On a modified ranking scale, which indicates the possibility for social rehabilitation, 9 patients (32%) were rated to be between 0 to 1. Four (14%) succumbed during this period. By formulating a treatment protocol, rapid administration of rt-PA and monitoring to prevent complications became possible.
