Association of Early Blood Pressure Levels and Outcomes in Ischemic Stroke Treated With Intravenous Thrombolysis: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Summary: When a person has a stroke caused by a blood clot, doctors often give them a strong medicine to break up the clot. After giving this medicine, doctors watch the patient's blood pressure closely. The usual rule is to keep the top blood pressure number below 185. However, this study found that keeping the blood pressure much lower—between 120 and 140—for the first 6 hours helps patients heal much better. A study of 340 patients showed that this lower blood pressure range led to better recovery and a lower chance of dangerous bleeding in the brain.