The procedure is both safe and efficient. It is one of the most significant new treatments in decades, one that could dramatically improve outcomes for the 15 million people who suffer a stroke each year.
The clot retrieval procedure, known as endovascular treatment (ET) will improve the treatment for people who have acute ischemic stroke. This is type of stroke causes blood clots in the brain which prevent the normal flow of blood. These blood clots can come from the heart (cardioembolic stroke)or the blood clot can come from a different artery and travel to the brain (artery-to-artery embolization)
The blood clots in patients who have suffered an acute ischemic stroke block the oxygen and glucose supply to the brain.
By removing the blood clots from the brain, the study showed that 50 percent of patients (1 in 10) did not survive while patients who received the standard care which is medication had a mortality rate of (2 in 10). The standard treatment is the administration of the drug called tPA, which is used when the surgeon believes it will help. This drug is designed to dissolve the blood clot.
“Fifty-five per cent of the patients who received ET in the study went home without having suffered significant disability,” co-principal investigator Dr. Mayank Goyal, professor of radiology and clinical neurosciences at the Cumming School of Medicine, told CTV. That compares to patients who did not receive ET in the study, with only 30 per cent of patients going home without disability… ET could become an international standard of care for acute ischemic stroke patients within a year, Goyal said, adding that the incidences of side effects or complications were very low… This is a major evolution in stroke therapy for Canada and the world.” ET was proving so effective in the trial that it was halted early in order to publish the results.”
How the procedure is done
The doctors thread a tube through the groin all the way up to the brain and then use a stent to remove the blood clot in order to restore the blood flow in the vessel in the brain. Nearly two dozen hospitals around the world were part of this study and 316 patients were involved.
Improvement in treatment and cost effective
50 thousand Canadians suffer from stroke each year. This new treatment is not only better for the patient but will help to reduce the high cost of stroke treatment which is currently set at 2.7 billion dollars in Canada each year.
Window of opportunity
My mother had a mini stroke, my best friend’s husband had a second stroke but did not survive.
There is a window of opportunity when treatment is effective for stroke sufferers. We must all become aware of stroke symptoms such as dropping side of the face, difficulty moving arms, or difficulty speaking. Call 911 immediately if we should have them or anyone you know are experiences these stroke related symptoms.
