May 11th is European Stroke Day
Every minute 2 million neurons can be destroyed permanently.1
This is why it is necessary to act fast, at the first signs of stroke.
WHAT IS A STROKE?
A stroke, sometimes called a “brain attack” can happen to anyone at any time. Globally, one in four people over age 25 will have a stroke in their lifetime2. It is a medical emergency.
There are two types of stroke.
Hemorrhagic stroke
A brain blood vessel ruptures. The blood can seep into brain tissue and damage brain cells
Ischemic stroke
A clot is blocking the blood flow in a brain blood vessel. The brain cells are deprived of oxygen and hence die
EVERY MINUTE 2 MILLION NEURONS CAN BE DESTROYED PERMANENTLY<sup>2</sup>
Stroke can hit anyone
Listen to Charlotte’s testimonial. She was treated in under 15 minutes.
At the time Charlotte experienced a stroke, it was evaluated that 1 in 6 people would suffer one. However, the number of cases observed in the past few years have increased and it is now estimated that 1 in 4 people over age 25 will have a stroke in their lifetime2
Stroke can be treated
There are different treatment options depending on the type of stroke. For acute ischemic stroke cases, the clot can be medically managed with IVt-PA or mechanically removed with a stent retriever.
IV t-PA is the clot busting drug traditionally used with stroke patients. Patients must be within the time window of 0-3 hours from symptom onset per IV t-PA indications for use. There are other contraindications associated with the use of the drug as well.
Mechanical thrombectomy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure using a tiny device called a stent retriever to remove the blood clot in the brain and restore blood flow.
For hemorrhagic stroke cases, the vessel rupture can be surgically managed or embolized with medical devices.
1. Saver, Jeffrey. (2006). Time Is Brain - Quantified. Stroke; a journal of cerebral circulation. 37. 263-6. 10.1161/01.STR.0000196957.55928.ab.
2. World Stroke Organization – Global Stroke Fact Sheet 2019 - V. Feigin et al. Global, Regional, and Country-Specific Lifetime Risks of Stroke, 1990 and 2016 NewEngl J Med 2018;379:2429-2437