Longevity science

Hundreds of thousands of heart patients could benefit from new blood thinning drugs to cut their risk of stroke.

The existing (and popular) blood thinning medications coumadin and warfarin have a number of side effects and require frequent monitoring and often dietary adjustments to maintain proper levels.

Alternatives to these drugs, although bound to have their own side effects, could help many patients who require blood thinners to reduce stroke risk.

Using small nets to fish blood clots out from inside people's brains may be the future of stroke care, according to a pair of studies.

According to researchers, "Clot-busting drugs only partially reopen 40% of large blocked arteries. These devices partially reopen 70-90% of large blocked arteries."

Furthermore, this new technique may be used in patients who cannot take certain drugs designed to break up clots or thin blood.