TPA...help

[haveaseriousquestion]

Hi everyone. I really need some help here and I figured this would be the best place to ask. Many many thanks in advance!!

My mother had a stroke this week and was given TPA. I'm kind of confused as to when the outcome of success is determined by the administration of the drug. I'll explain.....

I have been lead to believe that within minutes or hrs after someone is given TPA, there should be instant improvement in their condition/symptoms. Is this accurate?

After I got home I started doing research online. Here is what the National Stroke Association's website had to say:

"a five-year trial, conducted by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) found that carefully selected stroke patients who received Activase within three hours of the beginning of stroke symptoms were at least 33 percent more likely than patients given a placebo to recover from their stroke with little or no disability after three months."

Three months? So what does that mean? That the success of the drug can not only be seen in minutes or hrs after the stroke but also 3 months later??

I read another news article where they say:

"The articles always seem to include an anecdote where some one gets tpA and jumps off the table instantly cured. This is not supported by the literature where the gains are actually small functional improvements down the road."

So my mother's symptoms did NOT go away instantly upon receiving TPA. She still has slurred speech and numbness/weakness on her left side. Does this mean TPA did not work?

Can someone relay to me their knowledge and experience about TPA?

Again...many thanks in advance.

[dthfytr, ADN, LPN, RN, EMT-B, EMT-I]

It doesn't always work, there are no guarantees. The doctor does a risk benefit analysis to find appropriate candidates, but I'd rather have no response than a bad response. Have you talked with your mom's doctor?

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

These are questions best asked of someone familiar with your Mom's care.