According to a preliminary study in the August issue of Archives of Neurology (one of the JAMA/Archives journals), when a medication called argatroban is combined with another drug already used in the treatment of stroke patients, may help restore the flow of blood through blocked arteries.

The most common type of stroke (ischemic stroke) generally occurs when a blood clot lodges in an artery, blocking blood flow to the brain. Some patients with this condition are treated quickly with intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA), which works to help dissolve the clot and reopen the artery.

BUT, some patients do not respond to rtPA alone.

In animals, argatroban--which blocks the action of chemicals that clot the blood--has been shown to work with rtPA, increasing blood flow, speeding the opening of blood vessels and preventing recurring blockages.

Argatroban is approved for use in patients with heart attacks to help prevent clots but has not been tested in human stroke victims.

Argatroban and other similar agents have not been shown to be effective when used alone. However, these promising early results with combination therapy warrant further study.

According to the authors of the study:

"Low-dose agratroban combined with intravenous rtPA may be safe and may produce faster and more complete recanalization than does rtPA alone," they conclude. A second phase of the trial, in which 50 more patients will be enrolled, is now under way.

"The equilibrium point in the assessment of the risk-benefit balance of this combined therapy can ultimately be established only in an adequately powered, blinded clinical trial with an appropriate interim monitoring for early benefit and harm."

Read more at EurekAlert.