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Clot Analogs For The Development Of Improved Treatment Methods In Ischemic Stroke, Charles A. Rieth

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

According to the CDC, nearly 800,000 individuals experience stroke each year in the United States [1]. Greater than 70% of strokes are of ischemic etiology and involve the occlusion of key arteries in the cardiovascular system [2]. Tissue plasminogen activator (IV-tPA) is the current gold standard for thrombolytic approaches [3]; however, this therapeutic is only effective between 3 and 4.5 hours from the patient’s last know well [4]. As a result, less than 5% of acute ischemic stroke patients receive IV-tPA. In order to increase the viability of AIS treatment as a whole, it is essential that thrombolytic techniques are …