Under new 2018 guidelines for the early management of patients with acute ischemic stroke from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA), more patients could become eligible for critical treatments to remove or dissolve blood clots that cause strokes. The new guideline provides an up-to-date comprehensive set of recommendations for clinicians caring for adult patients with acute arterial ischemic stroke. Among the highlights and recommendations:

• The guidelines recommend an increased treatment window for mechanical clot removal from 6 hours to up to 24 hours in certain patients with clots in large vessels.
• More patients will have access to alteplase, an IV clot-dissolving drug proven to lower chances for disability.
• The guidelines support the overarching concept of stroke systems of care in both the prehospital and hospital settings.