Grant: Project Grant

Strokes are a major cause of disability. The most common type is an "ischemic stroke," which occurs when a clot blocks a blood vessel in the brain. The blockage decreases blood flow, damaging the brain. To treat stroke, doctors use medicines and procedures to remove the clot. After patients have a stroke, they may experience another one within the first few weeks. Doctors often prescribe aspirin only to help prevent subsequent strokes. However, combining aspirin with another medication, such as clopidogrel or ticagrelor, could potentially prevent more strokes. This combination may aid in reducing the formation of clots in the blood. The risk associated with these medications is bleeding. In this study, we're looking to find out if it's practical and safe to combine aspirin, clopidogrel, or ticagrelor for a period of three weeks. Patients who have recently experienced a stroke will have the opportunity to join our study soon after their treatment. To ensure their safety, they'll undergo a brain scan to check for risk of bleeding. The treatment they receive will be decided by chance, like a coin toss. One-third of the participants will take aspirin, another third will combine aspirin with clopidogrel, and the final third will use aspirin and ticagrelor. Our dedicated study team will follow up with everyone for a month. The insights we gather from this study will help us plan a larger, worldwide study in the future. If proven safe and effective, this treatment plan can prevent thousands of recurrent strokes in Canada and worldwide.