Apollo Hospitals, Chennai under the guidance of Neuro Endovascular Surgeon Dr. Srinivasan Paramasivam and Interventional Neurologist Dr. Karthikeyan organized a special event to honour and celebrate the heroic journeys of stroke survivors. The event was attended by a host of luminaries namely Justice K Kumaresh Babu, Hon’ble Judge of the Madras High Court, Mr. Vinay, GST Deputy Commissioner, Chennai, Mrs. Bharathi Baskar, Tamil orator and public speaker, Mr. Senthil, actor and Mr. Rajmohan, motivational speaker. The day-long event was organized to raise awareness on stroke and emphasize the need for early intervention in quality stroke care. More than twenty stroke survivors were honoured with awards for fighting back and recovering from the condition. The Apollo Stroke Network was also launched at the event.
Stroke is a major public health challenge in India and across the world. It is one of the leading causes of acquired disability and mortality and places considerable socio-economic strain on patients and their families. There are two types of stroke, namely ischemic stroke — caused due to reduction in blood supply to a part of the brain and hemorrhagic stroke — caused due to leakage of blood into a part of the brain. Nearly 80% of stroke cases are due to blood clots (ischemic) and 20% cases are due to bleeding (hemorrhagic).
Time is the most important factor in stroke management as 1,90,000 brain cells are lost every minute during a stroke attack. When a stroke patient reaches the hospital within 24 hours of onset, symptoms can be reversed with either clot-busting drugs or a pin-hole procedure called mechanical thrombectomy (where a stent retriever is used to remove a clot from the affected blood vessel).
A stroke can attack anyone at any point in time. It is no longer a disease of the aged. Recent data suggests that strokes are being increasingly reported by one in four individuals above 25 years of age. However, the stroke risk increases with age and doubles for every decade a person is alive after the age of 55. Around 13 million suffer from stroke every year globally and nearly 10,000 people are affected by stroke in Chennai every year. COVID-19 has increased the incidence of stroke as the virus is known to aggravate clotting among individuals with co-morbidities such as diabetes and hypertension.
Ms Suneeta Reddy, Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Group, said, “Apollo Hospitals is delighted to launch the Apollo Stroke Network to respond to the needs of those with specific neurological conditions. We at Apollo appreciate that every minute counts and our stroke response model is designed on that principle. We also hope that the journeys of the survivors will enlighten and inspire stakeholders elsewhere to collaborate and fashion stroke care models that will greatly benefit their communities.”
Dr. Srinivasan Paramasivam, Head of Neuroendovascular Surgery at Apollo Hospitals presented the structure of Apollo Stroke Network. Stroke being a time sensitive disease, protocol-based care with timely treatment is warranted. Organized network among Apollo Hospitals in Chennai to expedite the advanced care of stroke patients. Advanced care includes Neuroendovascular treatment of ischemic stroke like Mechanical Thrombectomy and Endovascular and Microsurgical treatment of Hemorrhagic stroke. By offering this treatment, we become the Comprehensive Stroke Center in the region and the largest stroke care network.
Speaking about advances in stroke care Dr. Karthikeyan, Interventional Neurologist, Apollo Speciality Hospitals, said, “The emerging stroke treatments that we see today are time-dependent. We presently have 4.5 hours as the recognized time limit to initiate an intravenous thrombolysis in an indicated patient. Any sudden neurological development should be considered as a warning sign of stroke. Symptoms such as sudden vision loss, double vision, dizziness, vertigo, instability are key to understanding the condition. Awareness about stroke, the importance of time in stoke management and stroke prevention methods are abysmally low in our community. We are pleased to join hands with stroke survivors to help create more awareness around this critical concern.”
