Rapid Evacuation and Access of Cerebral Hemorrhage Trial
The main purpose of this study is to compare patients with a deep bleed in the brain undergoing surgery to patients receiving routine medical care. The standard treatment involves admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with close monitoring and blood pressure control. It also includes other medical (non-surgical) treatments to prevent more bleeding or another stroke. Sometimes, doctors will recommend surgery to remove the blood if medical treatment alone is not successful. There is evidence that doing minimally invasive surgery early-using a small opening in the skull to remove blood-may help some patients. Researchers aim to understand whether this surgery is better than current medical treatment, which may include surgeries to relieve pressure on the brain in some cases. This study, called REACH, is comparing usual medical care to early minimally invasive surgery so doctors can know which is better for patients.
• Age 18-70 years
• Pre-randomization head CT demonstrating an acute, spontaneous, anterior basal ganglia primary intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) (the anterior basal ganglia include the caudate, putamen, and pallidum to the capsula externa and excludes the thalamus)
• ICH volume between 20 - 80 mL as calculated by an approved and standardized volumetric measurement
• Study intervention can reasonably be initiated within 24 hours after the onset of stroke symptoms. If the onset is unclear, then the onset will be considered the time that the subject was last known to be well.
• Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) 5 - 14
• Historical Modified Rankin Score 0 or 1