Kent Hospital joins stroke clinical trial

WARWICK – Kent Hospital was chosen as one of 80 hospitals to participate in a worldwide clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a new clot-dissolving drug, Desmoteplase.
The study will measure the drug’s benefits to patients who have recently suffered a stroke; the drug may provide its clot-dissolving benefits for up to nine hours after the onset of stroke symptoms, much longer than currently used clot-dissolving drugs.
Most strokes are often caused by a blood clot that blocks the flow of blood to the brain, depriving the brain of oxygen. By helping dissolve the clot, Desmoteplase opens the blood vessel to restore blood flow.
“This international, multicenter stroke clinical trial evaluates the effectiveness of a new clot-busting medication that can be given up to nine hours after the onset of stroke symptoms,” said Kent Hospital neurologist S.M. Arshad Iqbal. The local hub of this international trial is The Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. &#8226