New stroke treatment could save lives, extra benefit for regional patients

THE medical guidelines for treating people after a stroke have changed and it could save lives.

More people may now be eligible for blood clot-busting drugs up to nine hours after a stroke, which would give thousands a better chance of recovery.

Advice published in the Medical Journal of Australia recommends that clot-busting drugs are considered safe to give to some patients up to nine hours after a stroke instead of the traditional 4.5-hour window.

And for regional patients, the benefits of new technology and access to specialists is saving lives too.

Speaking anonymously to the Dubbo Photo News, one local resident praised the Telestroke service at Dubbo Base Hospital.

“The Telestroke service was of great comfort when I presented to Dubbo Hospital’s Accident and Emergency with what initially resembled a stroke,” she said.

“Within minutes, I had been whisked through, had a scan done and was connected via videolink to a stroke specialist at Gosford hospital for assessment and treatment guidance for the attending doctor in Dubbo.

“Fortunately, it turned out not to be a stroke at all, but had it been, those precious minutes saved through access to that Telestroke service may well have saved my life.

“Without that immediate assessment, the outcome might have been much different, and not in a good way.

“With stroke, every minute counts, so that service is a game changer for patients and medical professionals in regional and remote areas in particular.”

Stroke Foundation executive director stroke services, Dr Lisa Murphy (pictured), said it remained critical to treat every stroke patient as fast as possible. “However, this research opened the possibility of treatment for selected patients who wake-up with stroke symptoms, or who were unavoidably delayed in reaching hospital,” she said. Dr Murphy added ensuring more people could access life-saving treatments was a significant step forward, but more still needed to be done to help Australians recognise a stroke and get to hospital in the first place.

Stroke Foundation’s annual survey last year found that 40 per cent of Australians do not recognise any of the signs of a stroke.

Three of the most common signs of stroke are facial droop, an inability to lift your arms, and slurred speech.

“Ideally, we want at least one person in every household and workplace in Australia to be able to recognise the signs of stroke and to know that time is critical, calling triple zero (000) is the very first thing you must do,” Dr Murphy said.