Register for Karolinska Stroke Update It is high time now to register for the Karolinska Stroke Update meeting 16-18 November. It may become a historical meeting, since it may lead to a decision to change the European Stroke Organisation guidelines with regard to the time window for thrombolysis, and other issues. Read the full programme and register now at http://www.strokeupdate.org!
Published 10 Oct, 2008 - 18:16

ECASS III showing thrombolysis 3-4.5 h window is effective A week ago the SITS-group presented data in Lancet supporting the conclusion that thrombolysis with alteplase in the time window is safe. Today the ECASS III investigators present data in New England Journal of Medicine showing that the treatment in this time window is also effective.In total 821 patients were included in the study, with 418 randomly allocated to alteplase and 403 to placebo. More patients had favourable outcome with alteplase, 52.4% vs 45.2% with placebo. This is the first study with a positive outcome in acute stroke since 1995 when the first study in thrombolysis was published. November 16-18, the ECASS III paper, together with the SITS paper will be discussed at Karolinska Stroke Update, a discussion which will advice the ESO guidelines committee on whether the European Stroke Organisation guidelines should extend the time window.

Published 25 Sep, 2008 - 17:13

Karolinska Stroke Update 2008: One of the most important discussions for years The results of the SITS 3-4.5 h cohort data and of the ECASS III study - which will be reported at the World Stroke Conference in Vienna on September 25th by prof Werner Hacke, Heidelberg - will be discussed at the Karolinska Stroke Update meeting 16-18 November in Stockholm. The meeting will advice the European Stroke Organisation (ESO) Guidelines committe whether evidence are sufficient to suggest an extention of the time window for thrombolysis in stroke until 4.5 h. Read more and register for the meeting at http://www.strokeupdate.org.

Published 15 Sep, 2008 - 10:00

Comment by Dr Tsivgoulis and Dr Alexandrov on SITS article in Lancet In an accompanying Comment to today's article in the Lancet by the SITS group, Dr Georgios Tsivgoulis and Dr Andrei Alexandrov, Comprehensive Stroke Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital, Birmingham, Alabama, USA, say: “Extension of the timeframe of systemic thrombolysis seems to be a safe option for patients with acute stroke... We are looking forward to moving away from rigid timeframes to treatment based on imaging that can assess brain pathophysiology and tissue viability.”

Published 15 Sep, 2008 - 09:57

SITS-ISTR article today in the Lancet - alteplase safe in 3-4.5 h time window In an article published today in the Lancet from the SITS registry, the authors conclude that the rates of symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage, mortality, and independence at 3 months follow-up in routine clinical practice are similar between patients for whom treatment was started between 3 and 4.5 h and for those treated within 3 h after ischaemic stroke onset. These findings lend support to those of the meta-analysis suggesting a potentially longer timeframe for intravenous use of alteplase of 4.5 h. Read press release from the Lancet (in English) and from Karolinska Instituet (in Swedish):

Published 15 Sep, 2008 - 02:45

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Security warning during login Many users have been warried because of a security message that appears when someone is trying to login to SITS database. The message informs that there is a problem with the security certificate of this website and that you are not recommended to proceed. When you login to SITS, you can ignore this message, its a result of the increased security routines in upgraded versions of Internet Explorer. SITS and UCR (Uppsala Clinical Research) are looking for a solution how to avoid the message to appear.

Published 29 Jul, 2008 - 10:15

A new milestone - 20,000 patients in SITS On June 25th a new milestone was passed for our collaboration - 20,000 patients recruited. SITS is constantly expanding with new centres and countries joining every month. SITS is now a truly world-wide network of stroke centres and stroke professionals. SITS is also taking up randomised controlled trials and invites centres to join using the electronic data entry form as a trial platform. This opens a pragmatic approach to performing clinical trials in stroke. SITS will be adapted as a clinical trial platform for the new European Union Framework Programme 7 research consortium EUSTROKE.

Published 27 Jun, 2008 - 23:54

First SITS-NEW Steering Committee meeting The first meeting with the Steering Committe of SITS-NEW (Non-EU World) was held Sunday in Singapore. The Steering Committee includes professors Kim En Lee, Singapore, Joung-Ho Rha, South Korea, Padma Shrivastava, India, Yongjun Wang, China and Nils Wahlgren, Sweden. Professor Wang was represented by his deputy dr Wang. The SITS-NEW study has an almost identical protocol as SITS-MOST, but is run for regulatory purposes with regard to intravenous alteplase in acute stroke in China, India, Singapore and South Korea. The planned number of patients per country is 150, 120, 50 and 400,respectively. South Korea has already included 300 patients. Other countries have just started to recruit patients, such as China with 8 patients since March, or are about to start shortly. Professor Joung-Ho Rha concludes that the SITS register is found by Korean centres to work very well and now already 28 centres have joined. It is possible that more countries in Asia will join the SITS-NEW study, and others have joined or will joins the SITS register, SITS-ISTR.

Published 16 Apr, 2007 - 05:05

SITS-MOST paper now in the Lancet The main results from SITS-MOST is now published in the Lancet. Read about this week's issue, specially dedicated to stroke and including a podcast interview with SITS chairman Nils Wahlgren. The main conclusions from the SITS-MOST, supported by treatment data from 6,483 patients in 285 clinical centres, is that intravenous alteplase is safe and effective in routine clinical use when used within 3h of stroke o­nset, even by centres with little previous experience of thrombolytic therapy for acute stroke. The findings should encourage wider use of thrombolytic therapy for suitable patients treated in stroke centres.

Published 27 Jan, 2007 - 13:42

Season's greetings On behalf of the SITS coordination team and the Scientific Committee, I would like to extend to you our best wishes for Christmas and the New Year 2007. Thanks to all SITS collaborators so much for all your contributions to SITS during 2006. Warm regards Nils Wahlgren, chairman SITS International
Published 21 Dec, 2006 - 11:45