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Stroke: fast action saves lives

 
**Artikel ini diterbitkan di dalam Bahasa Inggeris dan tiada terjemahan di dalam Bahasa Melayu**
Artikel ini telah diterbitkan di www.nst.com.my pada 19 May 2022.
 
 

Article Summary

STROKE needs to be diagnosed and evaluated immediately, so effective treatment can be given within a few hours. The best time to treat a stroke is within four and a half hours after the stroke, to restore blood flow to the brain, stop the progression of the stroke and probably reverse the effects. An individual who experiences stroke symptoms needs to go to the nearest dedicated stroke centre.


 

WHAT IS THROMBOLYSIS?

Thrombolysis simply means a special treatment to dissolve the blood clot.

The medicine or drug used in this instance is administered within four and a half hours of someone experiencing stroke symptoms. This period is called the "window period".

However, in special circumstances, the attending neurologist may decide that thrombolysis medicine can be given up to six hours after the onset of stroke symptoms. The drug is administered through a visible vein in the patient's arm.

The drug circulates within the bloodstream until it reaches the clot and dissolves the clot. The drug is very potent and the patient needs to be monitored in a special care unit. Bleeding is the commonest complication of this treatment.

MECHANICAL THROMBECTOMY

Mechanical thrombectomy is a minimally invasive procedure done by an interventional radiologist.

This is a relatively new treatment whereby the doctor inserts a specialised small tube into the main blood vessel at the groin. Another smaller tubular specialised instrument is threaded up to the arteries of the brain and reaches the blood clot in the arteries of the brain.

Using another specialised stent-like equipment, the responsible blood clot will be mechanically removed from the arteries of the brain.

This procedure is performed under x-ray guided imaging using an angiography machine. The patient is conscious during the procedure. Similar to thrombolysis, early mechanical thrombectomy treatment will increase the chances of better outcomes.

Stroke treatments work best if the stroke is recognised, diagnosed and treated within four and a half hours of the incident. This is a very short time especially if the patient's location is far from the dedicated stroke hospital. Stroke patients may not be eligible for the above mentioned treatments if they do not arrive at the dedicated stroke hospital in time so if you have symptoms of a stroke, do not wait.

Go to the hospital and it's best if you can go to the nearest dedicated stroke hospital.

*The writer is an interventional radiologist, associate professor at Hospital Pengajar Universiti Putra Malaysia (HPUPM) and currently the treasurer of the Malaysian Neuro Interventional Society (MyNIS).

Tarikh Input: 31/05/2022 | Kemaskini: 31/05/2022 | amirahhani

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