Alteplase Treatment in Elderly Acute Ischaemic Stroke (AIS) Patients

Effectiveness and Safety of IV Rt-PA Treatment in Chinese AIS Patients Aged Above 80 Years: a Real-world Study

The objective of this study is to find out if Chinese Acute Ischaemic Stroke (AIS) patients older than 80 years benefit from intravenous (IV) Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator (rt-PA) treatment within 4.5 hours of symptom onset in a real-world clinical setting.

Inclusion criteria:

• Patients registered in the Zhejiang Stroke Quality Control Centre (ZSQCC) platform from Jan 2017 to Mar 2020
• > 80 years of age
• Diagnosed with AIS at admission
• Arrived or admitted to the hospital within 4.5 hours of symptom onset
• If treated with IV rt-PA: received IV rt-PA within 4.5 hours of symptom onset

Exclusion criteria:

• Documented Intravenous Thrombolysis (IVT) contraindication except age to IV rt-PA treatment according to the Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC)
• Missing any one of the key data (age, gender, baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale [NIHSS], time of symptom onset, time of hospital arrival or admission, IVT or not, time of IV rt-PA treatment)
• Received thrombolysis agents other than rt-PA (urokinase, tenecteplase, recombinant plasminogen activator, prourokinase, streptokinase)
• Received endovascular treatment
• Received IV rt-PA after 4.5 hours of symptom onset