New Stroke Treatment Guidelines for Thrombectomy and Clot-dissolving Drug

The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association has published new guidelines that would make more patients eligible for critical treatments to remove or dissolve blood clots that cause strokes. The guidelines, based on the most recent science available, were published in the Association’s journal Stroke, and the research is published on the NEJM website here. See also the New York Times reporting below.

New Guidelines Could Save More Stroke Patients https://t.co/6aPUp62xQw #patientsafety #stroke #thrombectomy

— Lubin & Meyer PC (@LubinandMeyer) January 31, 2018

More time for Thrombectomy

According to the AHA/ASA:

"A major new recommendation increases the window of time for selected patients who are eligible to have blood clots mechanically removed from vessels supplying the brain. Mechanical clot removal is only advisable in clots that block large vessels. The guideline recommends that large vessel strokes can safely be treated with mechanical thrombectomy up to 16 hours after a stroke in selected patients. Under certain conditions, based on advanced brain imaging, some patients may have up to 24 hours. The previous time limit was six hours."

Possible Treatment with Clot-dissolving Drug

 The other recommendation:

"Another new recommendation broadens the eligibility for administering a clot-busting IV drug called alteplase – a type of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) – the only FDA-approved clot-dissolving treatment for ischemic stroke. Previously, patients with mild strokes were not eligible for clot-busting treatment, but new research suggests it could help some of these patients. The guideline says doctors should weigh the risks and benefits in individual patients, because the drug can decrease disability when given promptly and appropriately."

Patients at risk of stroke should discuss the new guidelines with their family and doctors.

Get More Information

American Heart Association /  American Stroke Association

• News release
• Download the guidelines

New England Journal of Medicine

• New Ischemic Stroke Guidelines Recommend Expanded Time Window for Thrombectomy
• Thrombectomy for Stroke at 6 to 16 Hours with Selection by Perfusion Imaging

Questions About Your Stroke Care?

If you have questions about the diagnosis and treatment of your stroke, please do not hesitate to contact us. Our stroke lawyers can review your stroke case for free in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

View our main website at LubinandMeyer.com - Lubin & Meyer PC - New England's Leader in Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury Law

Cauda Equina: A Dangerous Outcome When Patient Complaints Are Not Taken Seriously

Lubin & Meyer settled a NH medical malpractice lawsuit this month involving a 50-year-old woman who now suffers from significant weakness of her legs and bowel and bladder incontinence due to a delay in the diagnosis and treatment of cauda equina syndrome.

Attorney Benjamin Novotny who represented the claimant in this lawsuit said that cauda equina syndrome is often misdiagnosed as simple back pain. "It is a big patient safety concern that only arises because health care providers often do not take patient complaints as seriously as they should."

What is cauda equina syndrome?

Cauda equina syndrome is a serious medical emergency involving extreme pressure and swelling of the nerves at the end of the spinal cord. If patients with cauda equina syndrome do not get appropriate treatment, adverse results can include:

• permanent paralysis
• impaired bladder and/or bowel control
• difficulty walking
• other neurological and physical problems.

"Hospitals and care providers must accurately and timely diagnose this condition before the nerves become permanently injured," said Novotny. In this case, the patient's primary care doctor dismissed her complaints as lumbar disc disease and sciatica without requesting a consultation or imaging study and despite repeated complaints of pain, muscle spasms, weakness in the legs with numbness and tingling. She was eventually diagnosed with cauda equina 11 days later, after a visit to St. Joseph's Hospital and a transfer to Lahey Clinic.

Read the full trial report here: Delay in Diagnosis of Cauda Equina.

Lubin & Meyer has extensive experience successfully pursuing claims involving cauda equina syndrome, including but not limited to:

• $1 Million Settlement: Delay of Spinal Surgery causes  permanent neurological injuries due to Cauda Equina
• $1 Million Settlement: Back Pain, Radiating to Legs Is Attributed to Diabetes, Not Cauda Equina

View our main website at LubinandMeyer.com
Lubin & Meyer PC - New England's Leader in Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury Law. Attorneys practicing in MA, NH and RI.

Krysia Syska Featured in Top Women Attorneys in Massachusetts

Rebuilding Lives Inside and Outside of the Courtroom

Medical malpractice attorney Krysia Syska empathizes with her clients, many of whom are struggling to recover from a life-altering medical event — such as a wife suffering from a misdiagnosis of cancer, or a baby with catastrophic neurological damage from a birth injury. "Sadly, my clients' lives are inextricably changed by their medical injury," she says. "My role extends well beyond the courtroom."

Syska, who was featured on the cover of the recent Super Lawyers Top Women Attorneys in Massachusetts, is recognized for obtaining maximum compensation for her clients and pulling in some of the Commonwealth's largest settlements. But that's only half the story. A big part of Syska's work is following through with the rebuilding of her clients' lives by connecting them to a network of professionals she helped establish — home designers, life-care planners, trust specialists, support groups and respite centers.

"My clients are wives, mothers, sisters and daughters, all with families just like mine," Syska says. "It would be impossible to remain completely detached from their life circumstances. Their tragedy could be my tragedy. Appreciating what my clients have been through makes me a better advocate."

Attorney Syska practices in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. See more about her practice on her attorney bio page.

View our main website at LubinandMeyer.com
Lubin & Meyer PC - New England's Leader in Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury Law. Attorneys practicing in MA, NH and RI.