Tissue plasminogen activator for acute ischemic stroke: Is the CAEP Position Statement too negative?

Abstract

Adapting information from research to clinical practice can be difficult, and we are often forced to decide whether benefits reported in selected trials are adequate to justify widespread application of the intervention studied. This is particularly problematic when the “evidence” is scanty, the degree of benefit apparently small (ifreal), and the treatment potentially dangerous. In addition, it is always important to consider whether community physicians can replicate the success described in research studies, which are typically performed by experts working in the controlled setting of a well-funded study.