This year National Stroke Week runs 2 – 8 August and is aimed at raising awareness of stroke and the warning signs associated with it while promoting the important work being done by clinicians who are dedicated to research, improving patient outcomes and stroke recovery.
Neurologist Dr Andrew Swayne said the Mater Acute Stroke Unit was a high level seven bed service treating hundreds of acute stroke patients each year.
“We have been continuously improving the service thanks to recent collaborations with other hospitals like the Princess Alexandra where we have established a program called Trial of Advanced CT Imaging and Combined Education Support for Drip and Ship (TACTICS),” Dr Swayne said.
“We have optimised our acute stroke care and are now able to mobilise an Endovascular Clot Retrieval (ECR) team of radiologists based at the Princess Alexandra who can expertly remove blood clots from a patient’s brain faster than before.”
Occupational Therapist Aleysha Martin has a particular focus on patient care and rehabilitation, she was recently awarded a number of high level grants and scholarships to advance her work.
“The allied health team is preparing to implement our new transdisciplinary stroke assessment later this month. We are looking forward to the positive impact the transdisciplinary assessment could have for our patients and our day to day work,” Aleysha said.
Neurologist Dr Rodrigo Tomazini Martins has been researching the Global Impact of COVID-19 on Stroke Care comparting data with hospitals internationally.
“Interestingly we observed a global decline in the volume of overall stroke hospitalisations, despite geographic variations or COVID-19 burden and pre-pandemic stroke volumes,” Dr Tomazini Martins said.
Finally, the team farewelled Stroke Care Coordinator Marie McCaig who retired after ten years of service to Mater and worked in the Mater Acute Stroke Unit since it was opened.
“I loved being part of a wonderful dedicated team of therapists, nurses and doctors to achieve the best outcomes for the patients. Highlights for me were seeing the patients respond to therapy and work so hard to regain independence,” Marie said.
“We slowly managed to put evidence into practice and implement early interventions such as code stroke, rapid assessment and management, and stroke unit care.
“I hope the department will continue research into stroke, in order to keep up with new evidence for treatment plus continue to implement patient rehabilitation pathways. We have seen in stroke patients’ small slow gains in function can lead to huge benefits in quality of life.”
For National Stroke Week the team also stressed the importance of understanding the warning signs of stroke and act F.A.S.T. (Face, Arms, Speech, Time) and calling an ambulance immediately. A stroke is always a medical emergency and time is critical.