Kauvery Hospital Chennai, a unit of Kauvery Hospitals, successfully treated a 91-year-old man and an 80-year-old woman for stroke recently. The former presented with weakness on the right side of his body and was unable to speak or move his limbs freely. “The elderly patient came to us with a slight paralysis on right side of his face and we proceeded for a CT brain to rule out any bleeding. We then administered him with IV Thrombolysis — a therapy given to remove any clots in the blood vessels and improve blood flow within 30 minutes of presentation. He was then transferred to ICU and with constant monitoring, medication, physiotherapy and speech therapy, he improved in a couple of days," explains Dr Sivarajan Thandeswaran, Senior Consultant, Stroke and Neurovascular Medicine.
"He is currently stable and walking. This highlights the fact that age is not a hurdle to provide modern medication for stroke. With advanced treatment and technology, a stroke can be reversed, but only with right diagnosis, right treatment at the right time,” Dr Sivarajan adds.
The second patient, an 80-year-old woman developed a sudden weakness on the left side of her body and loss of consciousness. She was evaluated by her family doctor and hence, was transferred to the emergency room of the hospital in under 35 minutes. “The patient underwent a CT scan within 10 minutes of her admission to the ER, and a long clot was detected. Upon analysis, we predicted that an IV Thrombolysis may not be successful, and hence was immediately mobilised to cathlab where the clot was removed with a stent retriever technology (a procedure used to remove clot from arteries). She was discharged in a week and is now stable,” says Dr Sivarajan.
A stroke can turn fatal if not diagnosed and treated at the right time. It is important to be aware of the symptoms and signs, as it aids people to help someone undergoing similar situations. However, not every patient comes with the same set of symptoms. It is the right diagnosis and understanding of a patient’s medical history that helps in providing the right treatment at the right time.
Every year, World Stroke Day is observed on October 29, and the aim has been to create awareness on stroke, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. “A stroke generally occurs due to high blood pressure, uncontrolled diabetes and poor lifestyle patterns such as smoking or consumption of alcohol. However, age is a major risk factor as it most commonly affects people above 60. The symptoms include weakness of facial muscles, legs or hands, difficulty to move, inability to speak. The first 4.5 hours is the golden period to reverse a stroke attack,” Dr Sivarajan adds.
Speaking about the two successful cases, Dr Aravindan Selvaraj, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Kauvery Hospital Chennai says, “During the time of stroke, the immediate step should be to rush the individual to the nearest hospital and begin the treatment in the ‘golden period’. Also, there’s a misconception that senior citizens, especially those above 80 years have lesser chances of surviving a stroke attack, but it is to be noted that right diagnosis is required to provide the right treatment as anything which may go unnoticed can lead to further complications or turn fatal.”