Center for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of strokes was founded in June 2014, with the support of the partner Dr. Michael Scone - associate professor of neurology Universita Alberta (Canada), a member of the American Board of Neurology and Psychiatrists, a member of the American Academy of Neurology, the secretary of the Board of Trustees of Neurology of MC Erebouni.
Stroke is an acute disturbance of cerebral circulation, characterized by abrupt (within minutes, hours) emergence of focal and / or general cerebral neurological symptoms that persists for more than 24 hours, or causes the death of the patient in a shorter period of time due to cerebrovascular pathologies.
A stroke includes cerebral infarction, cerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage with etiopathogenetic and clinical differences.
According to statistics, stroke victims each year are around 400 thousand people, and this number continues to increase. This is a medical emergency state that associated with high mortality and disability. After a stroke, only 60% of patients can still provide a self-service, and about 20% of patients are constantly in need of hospital care.
So how quickly and correctly the patients or people that surround them can oriented in the situation and how fast can appeal for specialized help may depend not only the real possibility for further recovery but the saving the life of the patient.
In fact, to recognize the stroke and to timely deliver a patient to the hospital has no more than three, a maximum of five hours. In this period of time from the moment that the first signs of stroke has appear it is possible to avoid irreversible pathological changes in the brain.
Conventionally, stroke symptoms can be divided into two groups: symptoms which are noticeable to the patient himself, and the features which can be recognized only from the side.
| The manifestations of the disease, noticeable by the patients |
Symptoms that are visible from the side
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| The sudden occurrence of nausea (up to the vomiting), headache and dizziness. | Inability of the patient to fully smile. Smile of the patients is usually bent to one side. | ||
| The sudden loss of control over what's happening, disorientation in space and / or time. The patient may not understand where he is, the speech can be confused and incoherent. | It becomes apparent the matted and slurred speech of the patient. Often people in this condition do not pronounce endings of the words, confuse syllables in words and just cannot express their thoughts. | ||
Double vision, partial loss of vision, or just not a clear vision of objects. |
If a patient put tongue out it becomes apparent that it twisted to one side, as well as a smile | ||
| Suddenly appearing feeling of numbness (paresis) of one part of the body, usually the limbs or face. | At the request to lift up both hands the patient could hold only one hand, the second will spontaneously fall and do not obey. | ||
| Attention! If you see two of the features described above - you urgently need a doctor! | Attention! In presence even one of described above symptoms of developing stroke it is necessary to call the ambulance! |
It is necessary to remember that as a rule, after a possible visible improvement of the general condition (when after a microstroke the vomiting is stopped, the speech is restored and numbness passes) after a certain time the disease will progress, and doctors may not have enough time to help. Therefore, in case of the short-term disturbances of various neurological functions it is strictly recommended to appeal to specialists’ consultation and do not waste time, because the symptoms can return with new more severe onset.
Patients with acute stroke usually admit to the Centre of Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention of Strokes in the first hours of the disease, which makes it possible to provide timely qualified medical care, including thrombolytic therapy. In case of necessity, it is widely practiced the council of various specialization physicians from different departments of MC Erebouni: neurosurgeons, vascular surgeons, angiology, physiotherapists, resuscitation specialist, ophthalmologists, endocrinologists, and others. In addition, even in the earliest periods of stroke (the first day) the department is organizing patients' rehabilitation procedures.
At the Center for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of strokes adapted and used guidelines and protocols of the University of Alberta. At the department is carried out:
- Fast diagnosis of the patient's condition - his rapid clinical and laboratory examination, which get possible because of 24/7 format of diagnostic services
- computed tomography
- laboratory
- angiography - presence of highly equipped intensive care unit, which allow provision of treatment of stroke in acute stage with the use of such contemporary methods as administration of tissue thromboplastin activator
- availability of highly specialized equipment and angioneurologists, allowing implementation of angioneurological interventions that not only serves the patient's life and decrease the risks of possible complications but also decrease the risk of disability
- identification of recurrent stroke risk factors and their correction
- rehabillitation of the patients after stroke
- outpatient monitoring, control and treatment of patients after stroke.
Each patient provided with an individual approach: the patients and their relatives are informed appropriately regarding his condition, the course of treatment and the purpose of performed examinations. Patients undergo all necessary examinations to clarify the diagnosis and to develop adequate strategies and tactics of treatment. The determination of necessity of surgical treatment for atherosclerotic stenoses of the brachiocephalic arteries is carried out in close cooperation with qualified vascular surgeon of the Center.
