Interactive Learning Module (ILM)
Interactive Learning Module: Acute Ischemic Stroke—Current Therapies and Future Directions
This program focuses on administering urgent treatment with intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator (IV tPA), which has been shown to improve outcomes in patients with ischemic stroke if administered within three hours from the onset of symptoms.
Despite its efficacy, 69% of hospitals in the United States do not use thrombolytic therapy and only about one percent of stroke patients receive it, mostly at hospitals with a high volume of stroke patients. Concerns by clinicians regarding the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage and liability exposure are among the contributing factors to the under use of tPA, underscoring the need for continuing education to assist clinicians in developing sound stroke-related diagnostic skills.
