Standard strategies for acute ischemic stroke within the rtPA therapeutic window

Although considerable progress has been made in developing effective prevention and treatment strategies for acute ischemic stroke (AIS), substantial challenges remain to improve quality of care.1 Intravenous thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) is currently the only evidence-based medical therapy for AIS and was approved by the State Food and Drug Administration of China in 2001. In this commentary, we sought to address the standard therapeutic strategies for AIS within the rtPA therapeutic window and the potential factors that would affect this approach in China.