Experts Stroke patients could be better cared for

In the case of stroke, every minute counts to reduce lasting damage

May 10, 2018 is the "day against the stroke". According to the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Munich (FAU), stroke is the third leading cause of death in Germany. In order to save the lives of those affected and to minimize possible permanent damage, fast and competent medical help is needed. Experts advocate widespread telemedicine support, which can be used by specialized specialists to provide the right care outside the metropolitan areas.

Every year, around 270,000 people in Germany suffer a stroke. According to the FAU, only 25 percent of those affected become completely healthy again. In contrast to the past, however, there are good treatment options for a stroke today. However, a fast start of treatment and a competent procedure are prerequisites for effective treatment. But by no means every hospital specializes in such a therapy. With the help of telemedicine, an expert could be connected directly via a screen, which guides and supports the specialists on site.

With the help of telemedicine, even smaller clinics could benefit from the expertise of the stroke specialists. (Image: psdesign1 / fotolia.com)

The right action is crucial

Stroke as a dangerous disease is still often underestimated. Many sufferers and relatives are insecure when an acute emergency occurs and do not know how to act. Often, such an attack occurs completely unexpectedly. The most important thing is to make a quick emergency call over the phone, because in a stroke every minute counts.

Early treatment and competent action

Professor Stefan Schwab, director of the Department of Neurology at the Erlangen University Hospital, reports that as of the beginning of a stroke per minute approximately 1.9 million nerve cells, 14 billion synapses and 12 kilometers of nerve fibers are destroyed. "In the acute situation of a stroke, two things count in particular: the early start of treatment and competent action," says the expert in a press release on the "Day Against Stroke". An immediate care of those affected is very important, ideally on a stroke station, a so-called stroke unit, explains Schwab.

Bavaria as a pioneer of telemedical stroke care

In Bavaria, there are 50,000 strokes per year. Outside the metropolitan areas, the routes to a specialized stroke station can be far. However, with telemedicine, this distance can be quickly overcome and patient care can be improved in the event of a stroke. Already in 2007, the stroke network STENO was founded in northern Bavaria. Three stroke centers in Erlangen, Bayreuth and Nuremberg are working together with 18 clinics from Central and Upper Franconia as well as parts of the Upper Palatinate and South Thuringia to improve the emergency care there using telemedicine.

About the telemedicine concept

Specialists in the treatment of strokes support the doctors in the affiliated regional clinics via a video consultation. "This way, neurological expertise can be made available at any time, without delays, wherever it is needed," explains STENO network coordinator Dr. med. Lorenz Breuer. Already 12,500 patients per year can benefit from this support.

What happens in the brain during a stroke??

In a stroke, the supply of the brain is not guaranteed due to a vascular occlusion or bleeding. There are failures of certain functions of the brain. The symptoms that occur depend on the affected part of the brain. Typical symptoms include:

• half-sided paralysis,
• numbness,
• Deafness of one half of the body,
• speech disorders,
• blurred vision,
• Incoordination,
• nausea.

More than half of all strokes are preventable

The FAU reports that more than half of all strokes were prevented by targeted preventive measures and a healthy lifestyle. In order to reduce the risk of stroke, it is important to have sufficient physical activity, a balanced diet, non-smoking and abstinence from excessive alcohol consumption. The most common risk factors include hypertension and cardiac arrhythmia (atrial fibrillation), but these are now treatable. Regular controls and minimization of risk factors can prevent strokes. (Vb)