The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, followed 352 patients with acute ischemic stroke across six countries. An ischemic stroke is the most common and occurs when a blood clot blocks or narrows an artery leading to the brain, according to a Feb. 10 Ascension news release. Half received mechanical thrombectomy — a procedure when physicians use devices to remove blood clots — and half received usual stroke care.
The study found 20 percent of patients in the thrombectomy group had functional independence at three months, compared to 7 percent in the control group. Mortality was similar in both groups, though in some cases thrombectomy was associated with vascular complications, the release said.
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