• 
• 

Three Part Question

In [patients presenting with symptoms suggestive of a CVA [cerebrovascular accident]] does [the administration of aspirin] prior to CT scan improve [outcome]?

Clinical Scenario

A 67 year-old man with a history of angina presents with a sudden onset of left sided weakness in the early evening. You know that the patient will not receive a CT scan until the following day and that if he is having a cerebral infarction he may receive some benefit from administration of aspirin. You wonder if the potential benefit out-weighs a possible increase in the risk of worsening any intracranial haemorrhage.

Search Strategy

Medline 1966 - 4 July 2006 using the OVID interface:
[exp Cerebrovascular Accident/ OR stroke$.mp. OR cerebrovascular accident$.mp.] AND [aspirin.mp. OR exp Aspirin/ OR acetylsalicylic acid.mp. OR ASA.mp.] AND [acute.mp. OR exp Acute Disease/ OR emergen$.mp. OR urgent.mp. OR immediate.mp.] limit to humans and English language.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, within the Cochrane Library Issue 3, 2006:
(MeSH Cerebrovascular Accident OR stroke) AND (MeSH Aspirin OR aspirin).