Abu Dhabi: In order to prevent irreversible brain damage, residents must act quickly if they suspect someone around them is suffering from a stroke, experts at the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi have urged ahead of World Stroke Day, marked on October 29 each year.
Experts at the hospital, Abu Dhabi’s designated stroke centre, warned that brain tissue ceases to function in less than two minutes in stroke patient.
“If the oxygen supply [to the brain is interrupted due to a clot in the blood vessel], brain tissue will cease to function in less than two minutes, and the patient will suffer irreversible damage, leading to tissue death, after about three hours,” said Dr Syed Irteza Hussain, a stroke neurologist at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.
A stroke happens when the blood supply to all or part of the brain is interrupted, causing cell death. Most are caused by a blocked artery leading to the brain, or what is called an ischemic stroke.
“So if someone is experiencing a combination of stroke symptoms — or even just one — call immediately for an ambulance. Waiting can lead to permanent brain damage and disability,” he urged.
While strokes impact patients differently, there are a few common symptoms that everyone should be informed about. These include a sudden loss of balance, sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes, one side of the face drooping when trying to smile, the inability to keep both hands raised at the same time, or slurred and indecipherable speech.
In the UAE, stroke patients are significantly younger than in other parts of the world. According to the Health Authority – Abu Dhabi and the Dubai Health Authority, about 50 per cent are aged 45 or younger, compared with a global average of 80 per cent of patients being 65 or older.
As reported by Gulf News in May 2016, around 10,000 cases of stroke were reported in 2015 alone, and about 8,000 people are admitted to hospitals every year for stroke treatment.
The country therefore has four designated stroke centres, including the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, at which stroke patients receive immediate care regardless of insurance coverage. The others are Rashid Hospital and Saudi German Hospital in Dubai, and Al Ain Hospital in Al Ain.
The Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi offers the most advanced treatment to stroke patients, including mechanical thrombectomies, a minimally invasive procedure that restores the blood flow to the brain for patients suffering from an ischemic stroke, allowing them to make a full recovery. The hospital has said in a statement that it has already offered the treatment to 100 patients.
During a mechanical thrombectomy, physicians insert a catheter into the groin of the patient and then thread it through the artery where the blood clot is located. Physicians then use a stent retriever, a small device that grabs the blood clot in the brain, and pulls it out through an aspiration catheter.
“Mechanical thrombectomies are the biggest change in the treatment of stroke for the past 20 years. The 100 patients we have treated suddenly developed symptoms of stroke, such as severe weakness and difficulty in speaking depending on the part of the brain that is affected. If treated rapidly, the patients recover their previous life within days, and the difference is incredible,” said Dr Ramón Navarro, a neurosurgeon with the Neurological Institute at the hospital.
