A map showing the 17 hospitals in HCM City equipped to treat stroke patients (Source: http://www.medinet.hochiminhcity.gov.vn)Hanoi (VNA) – The has uploaded a
list of 17 hospitals that are capable of receiving and treating
on its website.
Several stroke patients have died because they were taken to
that lacked the capability, Dr Nguyen Huy Thang, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh
City Stroke Association and head of the cerebrovascular diseases department at
the People’s Hospital 115, told a recent meeting held to review emergency
activities in the city.
The 17 hospitals are People’s Hospital 115, Ho Chi Minh City University Medical
Centre of Ho Chi Minh City, Cho Ray Hospital, Thong Nhat Hospital, Gia Dinh
People’s Hospital, Thu Duc District Hospital, Xuyen A Hospital, Gia An 115
Hospital, City International Hospital, Hoan My Sai Gon Hospital, Military Hospital
175, International Neurosurgery Hospital, Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital, Trung
Vuong Hospital, District 2 Hospital, An Binh Hospital, and Tan Phu District
Hospital.
They all have dedicated facilities to with two to 140 beds.
Many of them perform vascular intervention and brain surgery and use medication
like clot-busting drugs.
The Stroke Centre with 140 patient beds at the People’s Hospital 115 is the
largest and well equipped for treatment. It was the first in Asia to be
accredited for meeting Gold Treatment Quality Standards of the European Stroke
Association.
Recently, the Ho Chi Minh City University Medical Centre became the second to achieve
the gold quality standard.
The People’s Hospital 115 and Gia An Hospital 115 use a RAPID neuroimaging
platform to identify stroke patients most likely to benefit from endovascular
thrombectomy, a procedure to remove a blood clot under image guidance.
RAPID computed tomography-perfusion and RAPID magnetic resonance-perfusion
enable doctors to select acute stroke patients with known occlusion of the
internal carotid artery or proximal middle cerebral artery for the procedure.
The rate of patients saved is only 20 percent because treatment is only
effective when carried out within the ‘golden’ six hours after a person gets a
stroke, according to the hospitals.
The People’s Hospital 115 admits nearly 1,200 stroke patients every year, but
only 19.4 percent are brought within the critical period.
The University Medical Centre of Ho Chi Minh City admits 100 – 200 every month,
but only 8 percent come in time.
Thang said late detection and treatment is the main cause of the high mortality
rate.
A stroke is easy to detect: Patients have a drooping face, weakness in the arms
and speech difficulties.
Yet many delay going to a health facility, Thang said.
Most strokes are caused by clots blocking blood flow to an area of brain, and
treatment is aimed at removing the clots, he said.
Le Bao Huy from the emergency department at Thong Nhat Hospital said time is
precious for stroke patients: “Time lost is brain lost.”
Patients, especially seniors, brought to emergency departments should be
checked for a stroke and procedures should be performed to remove blood clots
as soon as possible, he said.
In Vietnam, nearly 200,000 people suffer from strokes each year, according to
the Ho Chi Minh City Stroke Association. The mortality and disability rate is
still high due to a variety of reasons, including hospitals limited in
endovascular intervention capacity and the late hospitalisation of patients.
One of the most common causes of death and disability across the globe, stroke
can happen to anyone at any age and at any time. Seniors are generally at high
risk though the rate of people aged below 45 suffering from a stroke has
increased to account for nearly 30 percent now. – VNA
Source: VietnamPlus
