Table 1 Baseline characteristics of the patients in the two parts of the study

Part I: Safety rhEPO (n = 13)

rhEPO (n = 21)

Placebo (n = 19)

f

Age (years; median, range)

68(21–78)

68(39–80)

63(49–79)

n.s.

Sex (male/female)

8/5

15/6

13/6

n.s.

Hemisphere (left/right)

5/8

11/10

10/9

n.s.

Stroke subtype

Cardioembolic

6

9

10

n.s.

Small vessel occlusive

4

3

3

n.s.

Large vessel occlusive

1

5

4

n.s.

Other

2

4

2

n.s.

ASA pretreatment

7

5

9

n.s.

Stroke scales

SSS (median, range)

31(9–46)

30(8–52)

30(6–54)

n.s.

NIHSS (median, range)

12(4–27)

11(3–26)

11(1–28)

n.s.

Imaging

DWI (cm³; mean ± SEM)

—

40.1 ± 11.8

35.4 ± 8.0

n.s.

FLAIR (cm³; mean ± SEM)

—

14.1 ± 8.5

3.8 ± 1.3

n.s.

Mean arterial blood pressure

122(109–145)

127(91–150)

130(100–177)

n.s.

(mm Hg; median, range)

CRP (U/I; mean ± SEM)

4.3 ± 0.8

13.3 ± 6.6

9.0 ± 4.6

n.s.

Glucose (mg%; mean ± SEM)

146.7 ± 19.9

123.5 ± 8.7

137.2 ± 14.0

n.s.

Time to treatment (h:min) (median, range)

6:20(3:30–8:00)

5:00(2:40–7:55)

4:45(3:20–7:45)

n.s.