Stroke; a journal of cerebral circulation
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial of intravenous magnesium sulfate in acute stroke.
Magnesium ions act as endogenous vasodilators of the cerebral circulation and act pharmacologically as noncompetitive antagonists of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor by virtue of their role as endogenous voltage-sensitive blockers of the ion channel. The preclinical efficacy of magnesium has been demonstrated in standard models of stroke. ⋯ Magnesium sulfate is well tolerated after acute stroke and has no deleterious hemodynamic effects at this dose. Further trials are required to determine efficacy.