SAN DIEGO -- A new drug can destroy blood clots in the first critical hours following a stroke.

In fact, many people can survive without lasting disabilities.

Yet, some emergency room doctors are reluctant to use this live-saving drug on stroke patients.

"I knew I was having a stroke -- I just knew it," stroke survivor Gladys Dickson said.

When Dickson arrived at the ER, she was given the clot-busting drug TPA -- a proven treatment for strokes over the last decade, but many doctors are still reluctant to use this lifesaving drug, 10News reported.

"It's an enzyme that promotes the body's own ability to dissolve blood clots," said the director of UCSD Stroke Center Dr. Partrick Lyden.

Lyden said for 15 years, the drug has proved to save lives.

"If you get in time and you get this clot buster, we can open up and save you from the heart attack or the stroke," Lyden said.

Some doctors across the country and in San Diego are still reluctant to use TPA on all stroke patients.

"You can get into an ambulance taken by good paramedics to the emergency department and you might or might not get treated -- we can't put up with that any longer," Lyden said.

Since TPA can cause brain bleeding, some doctors won't administer the drug to their stroke patients.

"We have a huge hurdle to overcome in San Diego and the country to get patients treated," Lyden said.

A new study shows stroke patients who were eligible for TPA treatment, but who were considered "mild" cases, did not receive the drug.

"These people have a high chance of ending up dead or disabled two weeks after their stroke," Lyden said.

The problem is some doctors believe the risks are not worth it for patients who are suffering from mild strokes.

"This notion of 'don't treat the mild patients 'is just wrong," Lyden said.

Dickson stroke was considered mild. Luckily she was offered TPA during those first critical hours.

"This saved my life," Dickson said.

Lyden said she was fortunate enough to be treated by a physician on UCSD's stroke team. Other stroke patients are not so lucky.

"Everyday in San Diego people with strokes come in like her and do not get treated," Lyden said.

Lyden said it's time for doctors to change their thinking and realize the benefits of TPA far outweigh the risks.

"How much longer are we going to admit patients to our emergency departments and not treat them properly?" asked Lyden.

Dickson is a living testimony to what this magical drug can do.

"I think this medication just gave me another lease on life," Dickson said.

The county and the San Diego Medical Society are planning a summit to bring together doctors and others in the emergency medical system to organize treatment for stroke patients.

Lyden hopes physicians across the nation will also re-evaluate how they treat stroke patients.