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tPA is a drug used to treat patients suffering from a stroke. It is available in most New York State emergency rooms, including Crouse Hospital, St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center, Community General Hospital and SUNY Upstate Medical University (University Hospital). Failure to administer tPA may be medical malpractice.

More than 800,000 strokes occur every – making strokes the third most common cause of disability. Most strokes are caused by a clot that blocks blood flow to a part of the brain. Common stroke symptoms include a “thunderclap” headache, dizziness, numbness, blurred vision and difficulty speaking. In 1996, tPA (tissue plasminogen activator) was developed. If tPA is prescribed soon after symptoms of a stroke emerge, the clot may resolve and blood flow to the brain may return.

While tPA has been around for more than one decade, fewer than 5% of stroke victims receive the drug in time to prevent permanent brain damage. If you are having a stroke, how long do you have to receive tPA? The answer is three hours.

While tPA may not work for everyone, stroke specialists believe that it should be administered to patients suffering from a stroke in order to decrease a patient’s chance of long-term disability.
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