Ambulance staff 'can speed up stroke treatment'

Treating stroke in specialised ambulances en route to hospital is feasible and could boost the number of patients who receive life-saving therapy, experts believe. Mobile stroke units can halve the time it takes a patient to get clot-busting drugs, a small German trial found. The drugs only work if given within four and a half hours of stroke onset. Since not all patients are suitable candidates, a rapid assessment is critical, The Lancet Neurology reports. Clot-busting drugs (thrombolytics) can be effective if the stroke is caused by a blood clot (the cause in about 80% of cases), but not if it is due to a bleed. The faster an eligible patient receives clot-busting treatment, the better their chances are of surviving and reducing long-term disability