Intravenous administration of EGB 761 and 90-day functional outcome in patients with acute ischemic stroke

Background & Objective: EGB 761 is a standardized natural extract used to treat impaired cerebral perfusion and nutrition (cerebrovascular insufficiency) in Korea. Although several animal studies have been conducted, few studies have investigated the clinical effects of EGB 761 in acute stroke. This study assessed the clinical benefit of intravenous EGB 761 in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods: This retrospective study examined a prospectively collected stroke database. We evaluated 232 patients with acute ischemic stroke within 48 hours of symptom onset. All patients were treated with antiplatelet or anticoagulation agents. We compared baseline characteristics between the EGB 761-treated and non-treated groups. The functional outcome measure was the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score 90 days after stroke onset. Results: Of the 232 patients, 170 received EGB 761 during the first 3 days after arrival in the emergency department. We found no significant differences in baseline characteristics between the groups, with the exception of atrial fibrillation (p=0.032). After adjusting for baseline factors, intravenous administration of EGB 761 was associated with an improved 90-day functional outcome (mRS <= 2) compared with the control group (odds ratio, 2.56; p<0.05). Conclusions: Our results showed a clinical benefit of intravenous EGB 761 in patients with acute ischemic stroke.