Efficacy and Safety of Intravenous Urokinase and Sodium Ozagrel in Acute Ischemic Stroke

Abstract

Urokinase and sodium ozagrel are widely used in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in China. But the effectiveness and safety of the two combinations are not yet clear. A total of 129 AIS patients who were treated with combined intravenous (IV) urokinase and sodium ozagrel within 6 hours of onset were included in this study. All the patients were assessed with the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score at baseline, 6 hours, at hospital discharge, and 1 month after AIS. All the patients were characterized into two groups based on early response (decrease in NIHSS score≥4 points at 6 hours) and good outcome (NIHSS score ≤ 1 at 1 month), and assessed treatment safety by evaluating intracranial hemorrhage and mortality. There were 54 patients in the good outcome group and 74 in the bad outcome group at the end. Multivariate analysis showed that shorter onset to treatment time, a lower baseline NIHSS score, and lack of large artery stenosis or occlusion werel associated with good outcome at 1 month. This study suggested that combined IV urokinase and sodium ozagrel therapy was effective and safe in treating patient with AIS within a 6-hour time window. With lower cost and a longer time window, it can be used as an alternative intravenous thrombolytic therapy in patients with AIS except rt-PA.