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UAE: Timely intervention saves life of man who suffered brainstem stroke

Doctors helped remove the blood clot and his full strength was restored within 30 minutes of receiving advanced treatment

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A multidisciplinary team of doctors at Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Sega) hospital have saved the life of a 42-year-old man who suffered a brainstem stroke.

Timely intervention by specialists and use of state-of-the-art technologies helped remove blood clot and restore his full strength within 30 minutes of receiving advanced treatment.

M.D. Islam was rushed to the emergency department of Al Ain’s Tawam Hospital with a suspected stroke. He was showing symptoms of slurred speech and weakness in the right side of his body. Through a comprehensive check-up, doctors determined symptoms of a stroke.

Immediately, Islam was taken for CT scan of brain and CT angiography – a type of scan used to check blood vessels – to further confirm the disease. Doctors found out that he had suffered a brainstem stroke because of obstructed blood supply to the brain stem and promptly administered thrombolytic therapy – the use of drugs to break up or dissolve blood clots. He was then admitted to the stroke unit for monitoring.

Islam was referred to a team of multidisciplinary doctors consisting of consultants, specialists, stroke nurses, a speech therapist, a nutritionist, and a rehabilitation expert to closely monitor his progress and for treatment. He was administered a complete course of blood clotting treatment, which abated his symptoms and completely restored his full strength within 30 minutes of receiving the treatment.

Dr Ali Hassan, consultant neurologist, underlined that the sooner a stroke patient is treated after the onset of symptoms, the more effectively they can recover.

“Advances in medical and radiological procedures have positively contributed to the recovery and treatment outcome of stroke patients. Patients who arrive at the hospital within approximately three and half hours from the onset of stroke symptoms have the best chances to fully or near fully recover.”

Tawam Hospital, Dr Hassan noted, houses an experienced team of interventional radiology consultants working alongside a multidisciplinary team to deal with strokes and manage them comprehensively.

“In the event of a major blockage in the blood vessels, an interventional radiologist is involved to immediately remove the clot, in accordance with the approved international protocols.”

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Dr Wa'ed Ali Sumairi, internal medicine resident, was part of the specialised medical team that dealt with Islam’s case.

“It was a rich learning experience for me since I was presented with the opportunity to assist in the patient’s clot removal treatment that resulted in positive results within 30 minutes of the patient’s arrival at the hospital,” Dr Sumairi said.

Last year, doctors at Tawam Hospital saved the lives of 600 stroke patients through their expertise and use of advanced technologies.

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• Abu Dhabi