Stroke emergency plan to save lives
The New South Wales government’s recent plan to improve early access to thrombolysis is a step towards optimising care for stroke patients. Thrombolysis is the breakdown of blood clots by pharmacological means. It is colloquially referred to as clot busting for this reason.
The New South Wales government’s recent plan to improve early access to thrombolysis is a step towards optimising care for stroke patients.
Thrombolysis is the breakdown of blood clots by pharmacological means. It is colloquially referred to as clot busting for this reason.
National Stroke Foundation chief executive, Erin Lalor, welcomed the plan to improve stroke recognition training for paramedics and implement new protocols for triaging and transporting stroke patients.
“Patients who have had an ischaemic stroke, caused by a blood clot, have a small window of time to receive clot busting drugs that could save their life and reduce permanent brain damage and disability,” Ms Lalor said.
“For these patients, early admission to a stroke unit with thrombolysis is one of the biggest factors affecting their chances of survival,” she added.
Stroke mostly occurs in elderly people and patient outcomes after stroke are reportedly highly influenced by age.
The National Stroke Foundation’s 2011 National Stroke Acute Services Audit showed only two in five NSW hospitals had arrangements with local ambulances services which are vitally important to get people to the right hospital quickly.
“It also showed a third of hospitals did not have routine processes in their emergency department to ensure patients with stroke were seen quickly and considered for early treatment,” Ms Lalor said.
According to Ms Lalor, paramedics will be able to quickly identify when a patient has suffered a stroke and then have a clear process for ensuring fast transport to a hospital with specialist staff, facilities and stroke management processes in place to provide the necessary treatment as fast as possible.
