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Harlem Word: Harmon Moats tells us about t-PA, a stroke treatment, and why you need to take it within three hours of having a stroke

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Article posted by Publisher in Health Info on August 23, 2024 - 7:50am
Key words: Health Info, Treatment, Stroke Symptoms, Stroke, Health Info.

Harmon Moats, Stroke Educator with the Neurological Institute in Northern Manhattan tells us about a new stroke treatment that can actually reverse stroke related injury! But you don't have much time to receive this new drug once the signs of stroke appear .....

Q: What is t-PA?

A: t-PA stands for Tissue Plasminogen Activator. It is a drug that reverses the injuries that people get from stroke. For example, if your arm becomes paralyzed or numb and you go to the hospital and they give you t-PA within the first three hours of having a stroke, t-PA will help your arm to get back to normal again within the hour.

Q: How does t-PA work?

A: When a person has a stroke, they have a blockage (also called a clot) that stops blood from getting to their brain. Without blood, the brain tissue becomes bruised and damaged and can cause disabilities such as paralysis, loss of speech, and so on. T-PA, which is a blood thinner, breaks up the clots, gets blood flowing to the brain again and heals the brain tissue that has been injured due to the stroke.

Q: What is the most important thing to know about t-PA?

A: It is extremely important to get to the emergency room as fast as you can so you can get t-PA. If you are given t-PA within the first three hours of having a stroke it will keep you from being injured permanently. After three hours, your brain tissue is unable to heal itself-it's dead forever. Not everyone will come back 100% but it's clear that a lot of people come way closer to where they were before they had the stroke than they ever would if they didn't get t-PA.

Q: Is t-PA a common treatment?

A: Only 3% of stroke patients who could get t-PA actually get it, because most people get to the hospital too late. This is why it's important to recognize your stroke symptoms and get to the emergency room as fast as you can!

For more information about t-PA check out this website!

Harlem Word is a series of interviews with Harlem health experts, written by HHPC and reviewed by our Health Advisory Board

Read more about our interview with Harmon Moats...

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