In countries with a high GDP, stroke units for the treatment of acute strokes are already an integral part of hospital medical facilities. These highly specialized treatments significantly increase patients’ survival rates. To achieve the WHO goal of reducing non-communicable diseases by 25 percent, more stroke units must be installed in countries with medium to low income per capita.
Stroke units save the lives of many people, being equipped with modern devices and highly specialized teams. The multi-disciplinary teams can react quickly to different situations and a wide variety of complications. As Dr. Michael Brainin, Head of the Department for Clinical Neurosciences and Preventive Medicine at Danube University Krems pointed out in a recent comment published in the journal “The Lancet”, the stroke units benefit patients by increasing their survival rate and minimizing complications.
Michael Brainin: “Over the years, the technology in the stroke units has become more specialized and improved. A new INTERSTROKE study examined the risk factors and results in 32 countries and in 108 hospitals. The findings prove that stroke units are effective. They reduce mortality and increase the survival rate. These stroke units should be set up in poorer countries, too.”
Reducing mortality by 25 percent
“Further studies aim to document the effectiveness of mobile medical equipment and specialized treatments in countries with low GDP. Many factors have to be taken into account in the process, such as the accessibility of hospitals, regions that do not have specialized equipment and patients who cannot afford medical treatment. These findings will help us set up more stroke units and to achieve the WHO goal of reducing non-communicable diseases by 25 percent,” says the stroke specialist Michael Brainin.
Contact
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Michael Brainin