Low-Molecular-Weight Heparin for the Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke

Ischemic stroke accounts for approximately 85 percent of all strokes in Europe and North America and for 70 percent of those in the Far East. 1 Established methods of preventing such strokes in patients at high risk include treatment with antiplatelet agents, oral anticoagulants, or carotid endarterectomy. 2 For acute episodes, however, no specific treatment has been shown in randomized, controlled trials to improve functional status or reduce mortality. 3 , 4 Antithrombotic agents, particularly heparin, have been a popular choice of many physicians for decades, but their benefit is unproved and their use remains controversial. 5 – 11 Recent clinical studies in patients with venous . . .