In a public awareness initiative to create awareness of prevention and treatment of stroke, a rally highlighting diagnostic and therapeutic facilities available at the Annal Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital was organised by the hospital here on Monday.
Around 500 nursing students from K.A.P.Viswanatham Government Medical College took out a procession from the hospital premises and back, through Puthur four roads and Vayalur road.
A.Karthikeyan, Dean, K.A.P.Viswanatham Government Medical College, flagged off the rally and released doves tagged with ‘prevent stroke' notes. He announced that a critical inter-facility transfer vehicle to transfer patients from lower government treating facilities like primary health care centres at a cost of Rs. 30 lakhs would soon ply from the government hospital.
Treatment of stroke hinges around the classification of stroke and a CT scan is vital in determining whether the stroke is ischemic (caused by a block in blood vessel) or haemorrhagic (rupturing of blood vessel), said M.A. Aleem, Vice-Principal, medical college. He urged public to take advantage of the free stroke and treatment 24 hour CT scan facility available at the hospital.
While a CT scan at the hospital costs Rs. 500 for outpatients and Rs. 300 for inpatients, an MRI scan are charged at concessional rates. A.Kanagasundaram, medical superintendent-in-charge also spoke.
Healthy lifestyle changes can decrease risk of stroke as sedentary lifestyle, junk food, and unhealthy habits are the major culprits of stroke, said Jos Jasper, neurosurgeon at KMC Hospital at an awareness programme organised to mark World Stroke Day.
Timely treatment was crucial for managing stroke as medical treatment after three hours from the onset of stroke results in poor brain recovery, he emphasised.
Discussing surgical requirements for stroke, he said only 10 percent of patients who suffer a stroke may require surgery, as medical treatment is primary. A need for surgical removal of clot may arise in an ischemic stroke if a block is found in major blood vessels like the carotid artery (carrying blood from heart to brain) or middle cerebral artery( vessel inside the brain ). Compression of brain due to decreased blood flow and rising pressure may require surgical opening of the skull bone. Key hole surgery is necessitated for rupturing of blood vessels inside the brain. In the case of aneurysmal bleed, when the blood vessel balloons out and the wall of the vessel ruptures, surgical clipping of the aneurysm is best treatment.
