Dubai: Patient with no evidence of stroke knocked down, how he recovered dubbed a 'miracle'
How acute stroke patient with no imaging evidence was saved
Dubai: Sajjid Mulla, a Dubai resident, arrived at the emergency room in an unconscious state after experiencing dizziness at home.
How he was resuscitated within 30 minutes of his arrival, was considered "miraculous", thanks to timely intervention by a Dubai doctor.
Dr. Shyam Babu Chandran, Consultant Neurologist and Movement Disorder Specialist at Zulekha Hospital Dubai, took the very critical decision to proceed urgently with thrombolysis, based on subtle clinical findings despite no evidences from all investigations, including CT and MRI Brain scans.
After taking consent from the family, the doctor proceeded with thrombolysis, a treatment to dissolve dangerous clots in blood vessels, improve blood flow, and prevent damage to tissues and organs.
Rare case
Dr. Shyam commented: “Though thrombolysis is a regular procedure, this is a rare case in many years where a patient came to us in an unconscious state and was treated based on clinical suspicion alone in this emergency.”
As a result, he said Sajjid was thrombolysed with IV rt PA. “Despite no supportive evidence Sajjid was brought back to life, and a clinical follow up showed minimal deficits. The CT Brain revealed changes on the right side of brain, which further validated the medical decision taken by the clinical team.”
Sajjid would have been left with permanent damage to the brain if this decision wasn’t taken promptly as there was no investigation supporting this at that crucial time.
Gratitude
Doctors advise that individuals should always rush to the emergency in case of any symptoms and undergo a medical examination to avoid fatal consequences.
Strokes can recur, and it is essential to exercise regularly and monitor diabetes, lipids, and high blood pressure.
Sajjid has recovered well and been on few weeks of physiotherapy to regain his muscle strength on this left arm.
Expressing gratitude to the doctor, he says, “I have no previous diseases and was always considering myself fit and fine. When this has happened everyone panicked and I was rushed to the hospital. I was lucky to be revived by an experienced medical team who knew what had to be done.”
After careful assessment of the cause of blood clots, doctors recommend the right medication or procedure to correct clotting problems.
Intra-arterial thrombolysis is an option for treatment of selected patients who can be treated within 3-6 hours after the onset of symptoms due to occlusion of the middle cerebral artery.
It is recommended for those who are not otherwise candidates for intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV tPA), a recommended treatment for patients with acute ischaemic stroke.