Backgrounder

Three hundred and sixteen patients were enrolled in the study, and 165 received endovascular therapy (ET). Fifty-two per cent of enrolled patients were women.

There are two main kinds of stroke: ischemic strokes and hemorrhagic stroke.

Ischemic stroke is caused when blood flow to the brain is blocked. Ischemic stroke ranges in severity from very mild with rapid recovery (TIA, or “mini-stroke”) to very severe with profound disability of death (major ischemic stroke). The ESCAPE trial examined patients with major ischemic stroke.

The study included 22 sites worldwide and patients in the U.S., U.K., Ireland and South Korea. Canada had 11 participating hospitals and enrolled two-thirds of the patients.

Stroke is a leading cause of death in Canada.

Acute ischemic stroke can cause death but most often it causes disability and has a profound effect on quality of life. Overall, positive outcomes for patients in the ESCAPE trial who received ET increased from 30 per cent to 55 per cent. In this study, ET was associated with a 50% reduction in mortality – from two in 10 patients to one in 10.
In stroke, time equals brain. Each minute the brain is not receiving blood flow, about 1.9 million brain cells die.

Stroke is the leading cost of serious long-term disability in adults. Stroke can happen at any age.

Use the acronym FAST to recognize and react to stroke: F (facial droop), A (arm weakness), S (speech slurred or garbled), T (time to call 9-1-1).

Canadian Statistic*

* The Heart and Stroke Foundation

U.S. Statistic**

** Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Stroke costs the Canadian economy $3.6 billion a year in physician services, hospital costs, lost wages and decreased

productivity.

Stroke costs the United States an estimated $36.5 billion each year. This total includes the cost of health care services,

medications to treat stroke, and missed days of work.