Preventing second strokes

Stroke patients have a significantly increased risk of having a second stroke and until now, doctors haven’t known how to prevent that from happening.

A large, clinical trial has found intense medical therapy works better than surgically propping open blocked arteries in the brain with a stent.

The study compared stroke patients given drugs to control their blood pressure, cholesterol and smoking habits to patients who had the stents inserted.

Patients who had a stent were twice as likely to suffer a stroke or die within thirty days.

Their risk of death was also higher nearly a year after the procedure.