Tools for Your Practice
Post-Stroke Assessment Tool

The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale is a visual and verbal tool that can help you assess your patient's neurologic impairment.

The health care provider using this tool should use his or her knowledge, education and training when managing patients.
Indications
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Use PLAVIX plus aspirin for patients with non–ST–segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (UA/non–Q–wave MI), including patients to be managed medically and those to be managed with percutaneous coronary intervention (with or without stent) or CABG, to decrease the rate of a combined end point of CV death, MI, or stroke as well as the rate of a combined end point of CV death, MI, stroke, or refractory ischemia.

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Use PLAVIX plus aspirin for patients with ST–segment elevation acute myocardial infarction to reduce the rate of death from any cause and the rate of a combined end point of death, reinfarction, or stroke. This benefit is not known to pertain to patients who receive primary angioplasty.

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Use PLAVIX alone for patients with a history of recent stroke, recent MI, or established PAD to reduce the rate of a combined end point of new ischemic stroke (fatal or not), new MI (fatal or not), and other vascular death.
Important Risk Information 18
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PLAVIX is contraindicated in patients with active pathologic bleeding such as peptic ulcer or intracranial hemorrhage. PLAVIX should be used with caution in patients who may be at risk of increased bleeding from trauma, surgery, or coadministration with NSAIDs or warfarin. (See CONTRAINDICATIONS and PRECAUTIONS.*)

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The rates of major and minor bleeding were higher in patients treated with PLAVIX plus aspirin compared with placebo
plus aspirin in clinical trials. (See ADVERSE REACTIONS.*)

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As part of the worldwide post–marketing experience with PLAVIX, there have been cases of reported thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), some with fatal outcome. TTP has been reported rarely following use of PLAVIX, sometimes after a short exposure (<2 weeks). TTP is a serious condition that can be fatal and requires urgent treatment including plasmapheresis (plasma exchange). (See WARNINGS.*)

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In clinical trials, the most common clinically important side effects were pruritus, purpura, diarrhea, and rash; infrequent events included intracranial hemorrhage (0.4%) and severe neutropenia (0.05%). (See ADVERSE REACTIONS.*)