Stroke - Be aware and be prepared

Pindara Private Hospital Magazine - Issue One

STROKE BE AWARE AND BE PREPARED With one in six people suffering from a stroke at some time during their life, most of us will know someone who has been affected by this devastating event. Referred to in medical terms as cerebrovascular event (CVA), a stroke occurs when blood stops fl owing to part of the brain. Cut off from their supply of oxygen, brain cells begin dying within minutes. A stroke can strike anyone at any time, however it is more commonly seen in older patients who have existing cardiovascular risk factors such as smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. In 2012, more than 50,000 Australians had a stroke. Today there are 420,000 Australians living with the effects of stroke (30% of these people are still working age), and this number is estimated to rise to 709,000 in the next 20 years. Stroke kills more women than breast cancer, and more men than prostate cancer. But the good news is that the earlier a stroke patient can get treatment, the higher their chances of a hopeful outcome. Dr. Paul Hannah, a doctor at Pindara’s accident and emergency rooms, has seen his fair share of stroke patients and has developed a special interest in the subject. “The last three decades have seen a huge decline in the mortality rate following a heart attack as a result of a combination of drugs, and it was hoped the same theory could be applied to strokes,” Dr. Hannah says. “Medications such as aspirin and clot-busting drugs known as thrombolytics have proven to be extremely successful in treating heart attacks. More recent developments in the fi eld of acute coronary intervention have made the chances of surviving a heart attack even greater.” Pindara Private Hospital has a 24/7 catheterization laboratory (cath lab) where heart attack patients are treated GENERAL HEALTH 18 Pindara Magazine Summer - Autumn | 2014


Pindara Private Hospital Magazine - Issue One
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