Study type: Human research · Status: Verified against declared source

Cerebrolysin and Recovery After Stroke (CARS): A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind, Multicenter Trial.

Stroke · 2016

Study scale: Cerebrolysin had a beneficial effect on function and global outcome in early rehabilitation patients after stroke.

Abstract only: Open source record

Product or molecular entity relationships

Cerebrolysin: Exact entity relationship. Legacy citation custody associates this source with the catalog record; no product-relevance conclusion is implied.

Plain-language verified summary

Question

The aim of this trial was to investigate whether stroke patients who receive Cerebrolysin show improved motor function in the upper extremities at day 90 compared with patients who receive a placebo.

Methods

Therefore, many therapeutic strategies have been developed targeting the pathophysiological cascade that starts with ischemia and ultimately leads to irreversible tissue damage.

Scale or participants

Cerebrolysin had a beneficial effect on function and global outcome in early rehabilitation patients after stroke.

Key findings

The nonparametric effect size on the Action Research Arm Test score on day 90 indicated a large superiority of Cerebrolysin compared with the placebo (Mann–Whitney estimator, 0.71; 95% confidence interval, 0.63–0.79; P<0.0001).

Limitations and uncertainty

Ischemic stroke is the second most common cause of death worldwide and the third leading cause of the loss of disability-adjusted life years1,2; however, treatment remains insufficient and is only successful during the first hours after the attack if reperfusion of the ischemic territory can be achieved.

Verified against declared source. Verification is limited to the declared source and review scope. It does not mean independent replication or establish efficacy, safety, or suitability.