Stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide. Intravenous thrombolytic (clot buster) therapy is the best therapy in select patients, according to Dr. K. Suresh Kumar, Neuro Physician of Seven Hills Hospital.
In India, around 1.5 lakh strokes occur each year and most of them are caused by blockage of blood flow to the brain, causing damage to it. A patient’s long-term outcome depends on how much brain is damaged and how quickly the treatment begins. Early treatment can minimise the risk.
The thumb rule to recognise stroke early is to remember the words: ‘BE FAST’ acronym for B – balance (symptom: difficulty in walking), E – eye signs (symptom: double vision, low vision), F – face drooping (ask the person to smile), A – arm weakness (raise the hand), S – Speech difficulty (ask the person to speak a sentence coherently) and T – time to call a doctor or hospital.
“The golden period for treatment suffering from stroke or having symptoms of stroke is within three hours after the attack,” says Dr. M. Dinakar, Medical Superintendent of the hospital.
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A man suffering with the blockage of blood flowing from his the legs, thighs and girdle to heart was saved from an impending limb loss by the endovascular surgeons of Indus Hospitals in the city.
Manikanta (22) was evaluated clinically and investigations were done before putting him on oral anticoagulants for six months. A repeat venogram, after six months, did not show any improvement and he was the verge of losing both his legs up to his thighs.
The endovascular surgeons performed a procedure of infra-renal venacavoplasty and venoplasty using six stents, for the first time in the State, on April 7. The patient recovered well and was discharged after five days with oral anticoagulant medication. The follow-up visits by the patient on April 15 and 24, showed that there were no complications and good blood drainage from limbs and lower trunk to the heart.
The endovascular surgery team was headed by Dr. Harivardhan Lukka. “The surgical procedure was done absolutely free to the patient under the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF),” according to Dr. S. Sridhar, Managing Director of the hospital.
B. Madhu Gopal
