A new study led by Dr. Eva Mistry from the University of Cincinnati and UC Health is raising questions about a common practice in stroke care.
When someone has an ischemic stroke—which happens when a blood clot blocks blood flow to the brain—doctors often try to lower the person’s systolic blood pressure.
This is done to prevent more damage or other problems. But this study suggests that the practice may not always be helpful.
The research focused on stroke patients who had a procedure called an endovascular thrombectomy. This treatment removes the clot from the brain’s blood vessels and is considered a big step forward in stroke care.
Still, many patients suffer from serious disability or even die shortly after treatment. The goal of the study was to see whether lowering blood pressure after the clot is removed helps or harms recovery.
The study followed 120 patients. What they found was surprising. Although high blood pressure after the procedure is linked to more disability, lowering the blood pressure didn’t show much benefit. In fact, there was a slight sign that lowering it could make long-term disability worse.
Dr. Mistry says that instead of lowering blood pressure for everyone, it might be better to let the body regulate itself. Any treatment to change blood pressure should be based on what each patient needs. For example, someone with other health problems or signs of bleeding in the brain might still need careful blood pressure control.
It’s important to note that the study was done at only three medical centers and involved a small number of people. So, the results may not apply to every patient. Still, the findings challenge the usual way doctors handle blood pressure after a stroke.
This study highlights the importance of personalized care. One-size-fits-all treatments don’t always work the same for everyone. More research is needed to find out the best way to manage blood pressure after a stroke and give each patient the best chance at recovery.
In conclusion, while the idea of lowering blood pressure after a stroke has good intentions, this new research suggests doctors should look more carefully at each patient’s situation. It might lead to better outcomes and fewer complications.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies that widely used blood pressure drug may increase eye disease risk and common blood pressure drugs linked to cognitive decline.
For more about blood pressure, please read studies about why checking blood pressure while lying down is very important and lowering top blood pressure number to less than 120 mm Hg effectively prevents heart disease.
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