RApid Primary care Initiation of Drug treatment for TIA (RAPID TIA)- a pilot randomised controlled trial
About the study:
People who have a transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or minor stroke are at high risk of a recurrent stroke, particularly in the first week after the event. Early initiation of secondary preventative drugs leads to an 80% reduction in risk of stroke recurrence, therefore should these drugs in addition to aspirin be given before being seen by a specialist? The aim of RAPID TIA pilot trial is to determine the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial and cost effectiveness of primary care physicians initiating secondary preventative measures in addition to aspirin in people with suspected TIA or minor stroke at the time of referral to a specialist. We will recruit 170 patients from 30 general practices and 1 emergency department and randomly assign them to usual care or usual care plus additional early secondary prevention drugs (a blood pressure lowering protocol, simvastatin 40mg and dipyridamole 200mg). The primary outcome of the main study will be stroke at 90 days. Secondary outcomes include quality of life, adverse events and clinical outcomes such as vascular events and stroke. This pilot study will be used to estimate key parameters that are needed to design the main study and to estimate the accuracy of primary care diagnosis of TIA.
Contact details:
Kate Fletcher
Email: k.fletcher@bham.ac.uk