Question

A patient is admitted via ambulance to the emergency room of a stroke center at 1:30 p.m. with symptoms that the patient said began at 1:00 p.m. Within 1 hour, an ischemic stroke had been confirmed and the doctor ordered tPA. The nurse knows to give this drug no later than what time?

a) 5:30 p.m.
b) 3:00 p.m.
c) 4:00 p.m.
d) 2:30 p.m.

Answer 1

For an ischemic stroke, tPA must be administered within 3 hours from symptom onset. Since symptoms began at 1:00 p.m., the latest tPA can be administered is at 4:00 p.m.

Step-by-step explanation:

A patient is admitted to the emergency room with symptoms suggesting an ischemic stroke. The physician orders the administration of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), which must be given within a critical time window to be effective. tPA is a thrombolytic agent known to improve the prognosis significantly if administered within 3 hours following a thrombotic stroke. Given the patient's symptoms began at 1:00 p.m., the nurse knows the drug needs to be administered no later than 4:00 p.m. Hence, the correct answer is (c) 4:00 p.m.