Diagnosing strokes Every minute counts

Diagnosis of strokes: Every minute counts.

(17.09.2010) Over 60,000 people die every year in Germany from the effects of a stroke (Apoplex). It could be helped with timely diagnosis many of them. Therefore, for example, the state of Hesse currently supports the establishment of a neurological acute care clinic including a stroke unit (stroke unit) in Rotenburg an der Fulda with 2.5 million euros. Rotenburg.

As part of the handover of the approval decision earlier this week, Petra Müller-Klepper, State Secretary in the Hesse Ministry of Social Affairs, once again explained how important the education on the subject of stroke from the perspective of the state of Hesse. „With this donation, the state government supports the clinic in the organization of its new neurological care mission. This is an important piece of the future for the establishment and improvement of patient care“, emphasized Müller-Klepper.

The HKZ is currently listed with 196 beds (formerly 42 beds) as an integrated medical center for diagnostics, therapy and rehabilitation in the hospital plan of the state of Hesse. The treatment areas include internal medicine (cardiology), cardiac surgery and neurology.

„The granting of the supply contract is“, said loudly Müller-Klepper, „a clear signal from the state government“. The new neurological acute care clinic will include two new wards, the first of which started work in early August and the second will begin operations in early November. The Stroke Unit will be available for stroke victims around the clock from January 2011, with attached neurological surveillance beds and beds for the rehabilitation of seriously ill neurological patients. Thus, with the establishment of the Stroke Unit, the strengthening of the site and the supply network should be achieved explicitly for stroke patients. The Cardiovascular Center (HCC) is also investing € 700,000 in the approximately € 3.2 million facility for the new 21-bed acute acute neurology.

On the occasion of the handing over of the permit, the district administrator Karl-Ernst Schmidt, that the need for acute treatment and rehab for stroke patients will grow massively in the future. By 2050, an increase in strokes of 70 percent is expected. More than 200,000 Germans suffer a stroke each year, with more than 60,000 not surviving, making the apoplex the third leading cause of death in Germany.

The cause of a stroke is the sudden lack of oxygen and other substances in the nerve cells of the brain, which occurs in the course of a reduced perfusion of the corresponding brain regions. Symptoms can vary widely depending on the severity of the onset, making it difficult to diagnose. For example, visual disturbances in one or both eyes, visual field loss, double vision, balance or coordination disorder (ataxia), numbness, paralysis or weakness in the face, arm, leg, or even the entire body, confusion, speech - And font disturbances, seemingly groundless very severe headache, dysphagia, orientation disorders, etc. A timely diagnosis is vital for those affected, because in a variety of cases, the patient by lysis (dissolution of the blood clot) by intravenous or intraarterial Administration of special drugs will be helped. However, the treatment must be initiated at the latest four and a half hours after the stroke so that it has a chance of success and can protect the brain of the patient from permanent damage, as the statement of the chief physician of neurology at the HZK, Dr. med. Andreas night man.

In the opinion of the physicians in any case, the first care in a hospital with Stroke Unit is to be preferred because there is a rapid and optimal diagnosis and the health status of patients is continuously monitored by specially trained staff. All basic parameters of blood pressure, heart rate, temperature and respiration are constantly monitored. In addition, there is close cooperation between the various medical disciplines and early rehabilitation is started. With the establishment of the Stroke Unit in the HZK in Rotenburg an attempt is made to meet the demands for appropriate treatment from the state side. (Fp)

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Picture credits: Martin Büdenbender