Overview

• The international OPTIMISTmain trial, involving 4,515 patients across eight countries, demonstrated that reducing post-thrombolysis monitoring from 39 to 19 checks in 24 hours does not compromise patient outcomes.
• Key findings revealed nearly identical rates of poor functional outcomes, with 31.7% in the low-intensity group versus 30.9% in the standard monitoring group.
• Serious adverse events, including intracerebral hemorrhage, were rare and comparable between the two monitoring protocols, confirming the safety of reduced assessments.
• Adopting the low-intensity protocol significantly freed up nursing resources and increased ICU bed availability, with a 30% reduction in stroke patient ICU admissions reported in the United States.
• Presented at the European Stroke Organisation Conference and published in The Lancet, the study challenges decades-old guidelines, offering a data-driven path to more sustainable stroke care globally.