Optimal management of patients in the aftermath of an ischemic stroke is an area of ongoing, active investigation. Treatment strategies include intravenous thrombolysis, endovascular interventions, systemic anticoagulation, and antiplatelet therapy, among other pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic approaches. This review was primarily on the data and issues surrounding the use of heparin-based anticoagulants in acute ischemic stroke.
Researchers have studied the role of anticoagulation in ischemic stroke for more than 50 years after autopsy analysis of basilar artery thrombi demonstrated an evolution in clots over time. This, along with our conception of the pathogenesis of thrombotic arterial occlusion, suggested that early anticoagulation for ischemic stroke may likewise allow for endogenous mechanisms of thrombolysis to proceed unopposed, preventing clot propagation and even hastening…
