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Contact: Nichole Guillen Nguyen
949/764-6858
Hoag Hospital Participates in Clinical Trial to Find Best Treatment for Acute Stroke
August 24, 2009 - Newport Beach, CA:
Hoag Memorial Hospital
Presbyterian today announced that its comprehensive Neurosciences Institute
will be a site for a clinical trial evaluating two different ways of treating
patients who have suffered an acute stroke to determine which treatment gives
patients a better outcome. The
trial is sponsored by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and
Strokes (NINDS), an institute of the National Institutes of Health; University
of Cincinnati; Medical University of South Carolina; and University of Calgary.
“Hoag Hospital is unique among
community hospitals in having comprehensive neurosciences facilities and
processes that allow us to translate cutting edge clinical science to directly
impact the improvement of patient health outcomes,” noted David M. Brown, MD,
medical director of Hoag Hospital’s stroke program.
Approximately 900 people will
participate in this study at 50 hospitals in the United States and Canada over
five years. In it, patients who qualify will be randomized to receive one of
two different treatment regimens of acute thrombolytic therapy. At the close of the study, the two
treatment arms will be compared to see which protocol generated better patient
outcomes.
Acute thrombolytic therapy, the
only therapy for acute strokes approved by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration, is used when a patient arrives at a hospital within three hours
of stroke onset. A drug called recombinant
tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is given intravenously for one hour to
dissolve clots in blood vessels in the brain that cause stroke. This treatment can result in the early
reopening of blocked arteries, help save tissue and improve patient
outcomes. However, because
intravenous tPA is not always effective for all patients, other techniques
combining tPA with interventional techniques are being investigated.
Specially-trained neurologists at
Hoag Hospital will offer qualifying patients the option of participating in
this clinical trial. Those who participate will be randomized to be treated
with intravenous tPA alone or in combination with tPA administered by catheters
in the arteries at the site of the blood clot. Special tools may be used to
remove the clots from the brain.
“Early stroke intervention is
critical, for the sooner patients receive appropriate stroke treatment, the
better their chances for survival and for suffering the least amount of
permanent damage,” continued Dr. Brown. “What might seem like a relatively
minor change in treatment protocol may offer a significant improvement in
patient outcomes. Hoag Hospital is
pleased to lend our stroke care expertise in this national trial to help
determine the best treatment option for this devastating condition.”
About
Hoag Neurosciences Institute
Hoag, through its Neurosciences
Institute, is one of only a few Orange County hospitals whose Stroke Program is
designated as a Stroke-Neurology Receiving Center to provide 24-hour availability of neurologists, neurosurgeons, radiologists,
interventional neuroradiologists, stroke-trained nurses and emergency medicine
physicians. Through its
multidisciplinary team of medical experts and clinical research, the
Neuroscience Institute is dedicated to offering a comprehensive approach
to the prevention, diagnosis and management of a variety of neurological
disorders including stroke, brain tumors, dementia, epilepsy, Parkinson’s
disease and others. The Institute’s stroke program
ranks among the top five percent in the nation and has received the American
Stroke Association’s Get With the GuidelinesSM Gold Performance Achievement Award. For more
information, visit www.hoaghospital.org/neuroscience
About
Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian
Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian is a 498-bed, not-for-profit, acute
care hospital located in Newport Beach, CA. Fully accredited by the Joint
Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and designated as a
Magnet hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), Hoag offers
a comprehensive mix of services, including Centers of Excellence in cancer,
heart and vascular, neurosciences, orthopedics and women’s health. National Research
Corporation has endorsed Hoag as Orange County’s most preferred hospital for
the past 13 consecutive years. For an unprecedented 13 years, residents have
chosen Hoag as the county’s best hospital in a local newspaper survey. In order
to meet the growing needs of Irvine and South County residents, Hoag will open
an Irvine campus in 2010. Hoag continues to offer additional services to the
community through the seven Hoag Health Centers located throughout Orange
County.
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