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St Vincent’s Private Hospital Toowoomba is committed to introducing new services that improve the wellbeing of this community.
The latest addition to the high-quality rehabilitation services currently provided by the hospital includes a new two bed primary stroke unit that specialises in delivering sub-acute stroke care.
This is the first dedicated private sector stroke unit outside of a metropolitan city in Australia.
Dr Nisal Gange Geriatrician, Stroke Physician will lead the expert medical team that delivers the service. Private patients with stroke can be transferred into the St Vincent’s Unit, where they can receive specialised subacute care and rehabilitation, after their Hyper-acute management condition has been stabilised at the Base Hospital.
Dr Gange said the new unit is an exciting addition to the St Vincent’s rehabilitation service, which already provides excellent post-operative care to patients.
Dr Gange said, "Initially the specialised stroke unit will provide subacute and rehabilitation care for patients after their condition has been stabilised by medical teams at the Base Hospital which includes clot busting medication or assessment for clot retrieval but ultimately our aim is for the St Vincent’s stroke services to be able to
treat and care for hyper acute presentations i.e. patients presenting within 24 hours of stroke onset.
"With our specialised emergency, radiology and vascular teams on site this is not too far off in the future."
What is a stroke?
A stroke occurs when the blood supply to an area of the brain is cut off. The symptoms depend upon the region of the brain that is affected by the loss of blood supply and can include changes in sensation or motor control.
Symptoms of a stroke also depend on how much of the brain tissue is deprived of blood supply. For example, someone who had a mild stroke may experience temporary weakness of an arm or leg, but those with a more severe stroke may be permanently paralysed on one side of their body or be unable to speak. If the blood supply is not quickly restored, either on its own or via medical treatment, the effects may be permanent.
A transient ischemic attack, or TIA , is sometimes referred to as a "mini-stroke." With a TIA, the stroke symptoms occur but go away on their own within a few hours.
However, their future risk of a major stroke is higher and they should be treated and investigated promptly. Some people fully recover from strokes, but over two-thirds of stroke survivors are left with some type of disability.
How to tell if someone is having a stroke
FAST is an acronym to help you quickly recognise the warning signs and symptoms of stroke.
F: Face drooping. Ask the person to smile, and see if one side is drooping. One side of the face may also be numb, and the smile may appear uneven.
A: Arm weakness. Ask the person to raise both arms. Is there weakness or numbness on one side? One arm drifting downward is a sign of one-sided arm weakness.
S: Speech difficulty. People having a stroke may slur their speech or have trouble speaking at all. Speech may be incomprehensible. Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence and look for any speech abnormality.
T: Time to call 000! If a person shows any of the symptoms above, even if the symptoms went away, call 000 and get the person to a hospital immediately. In Toowoomba this still should be to the Base Hospital for initial assessment.