BrainWaves Quanta: TNK-ing to the next level

MedLink Neurology Podcast is delighted to feature selected episodes from BrainWaves, courtesy of James E Siegler MD, its originator and host. BrainWaves is an academic audio podcast whose mission is to educate medical providers through clinical cases and topical reviews in neurology, medicine, and the humanities, and episodes originally aired from 2016 to 2021.

Originally released: May 20, 2018

It's the age of thrombectomy. The DAWN of a new era. But should we give up on intravenous thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke? In this installment of the Quanta series (typically shorter episodes, this one happens to be 19 minutes), we review the latest data on fibrinolytic agents and anticipate the upcoming paradigm shift in the management of patients with cerebral infarction.

Produced by James E Siegler. Music by Hyson and Jon Watts. BrainWaves' podcasts and online content are intended for medical education only and should not be used for clinical decision-making.

REFERENCES

Assessment of the Safety and Efficacy of a New Thrombolytic (ASSENT-2) Investigators; Van De Werf F, Adgey J, et al. Single-bolus tenecteplase compared with front-loaded alteplase in acute myocardial infarction: the ASSENT-2 double-blind randomised trial. Lancet 1999;354(9180):716-22. PMID 10475182

Campbell BC, Mitchell PJ, Churilov L, et al. Tenecteplase versus alteplase before thrombectomy for ischemic stroke. N Engl J Med 2018;378(17):1573-82. PMID 29694815

Haley EC Jr, Lyden PD, Johnston KC, Hemmen TM; TNK in Stroke Investigators. A pilot dose-escalation safety study of tenecteplase in acute ischemic stroke. Stroke 2005;36(3):607-12. PMID 15692126

Haley EC Jr, Thompson JL, Grotta JC, et al. Phase IIB/III trial of tenecteplase in acute ischemic stroke: results of a prematurely terminated randomized clinical trial. Stroke 2010;41(4):707-11. PMID 20185783

Huang X, Cheripelli BK, Lloyd SM, et al. Alteplase versus tenecteplase for thrombolysis after ischaemic stroke (ATTEST): a phase 2, randomised, open-label, blinded endpoint study. Lancet Neurol 2015;14(4):368-76. PMID 25726502

Logallo N, Novotny V, Assmus J, et al. Tenecteplase versus alteplase for management of acute ischaemic stroke (NOR-TEST): a phase 3, randomised, open-label, blinded endpoint trial. Lancet Neurol 2017;16(10):781-8. PMID 28780236

Parsons M, Spratt N, Bivard A, et al. A randomized trial of tenecteplase versus alteplase for acute ischemic stroke. N Engl J Med 2012;366(12):1099-107. PMID 22435369

We believe that the principles expressed or implied in the podcast remain valid, but certain details may be superseded by evolving knowledge since the episode’s original release date.