Medical Management With Endovascular Thrombectomy Versus Medical Management Alone in Patients Presenting Beyond 24 Hours of Last Known Well

EVT will be provided in addition to medical management and is a procedure to remove a thrombus in one of the brain arteries that is obstructing the blood flow and is responsible for the occurrence of stroke. Removing this occlusion results in restoration of blood flow to ischemic brain tissue and salvages the parts that are still viable, which is expected to improve functional outcomes. Endovascular thrombectomy procedure will be performed using stent retrievers, aspiration devices or combination approach at the discretion of the treating physician, using devices approved by the local regulatory authority. For patients treated in the United States of America, only US Food and Drug Administration-approved neurothrombectomy devices can be used.

Medical management comprises various measures to prevent further deterioration, enhance patients' outcomes and prevent occurrence of a secondary stroke in short and long term. This includes 1) evidence-based practices for blood pressure management 2) Neurocritical care monitoring with appropriate osmotic therapy and neurosurgical interventions such as hemicraniectomy for management of cerebral edema that occurs due to infracted brain tissue based on local institutional protocol, 3) stroke etiology identification by requisite neurology , cardiology, immunology evaluations and 4) short and long-term strategies for secondary stroke prevention, including anticoagulation, antiplatelet therapy, medical optimization and modification of stroke risk factors such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes and other potential comorbidities.