Netcare Pholoso opens first stroke unit in the city
Many people are at risk of a stroke and as September is Heart and Stroke Awareness Month, Netcare Pholoso Hospital wants to raise awareness about the illness and announced they have a fully equipped stroke unit.
POLOKWANE – A stroke happens when the blood supply to a part of your brain is interrupted or reduced, depriving brain tissue of oxygen and nutrients.
In a lot of cases patients become paralysed as a result of a stroke, but, according to Bruce Matlala, consultant from the Angel’s Initiative, more patients will be helped quicker with better stroke protocols in hospitals.
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“Angel’s Initiative was started by a doctor whose relative had a stroke and became paralysed. He then decided to raise awareness about strokes as he knew that if the brain is dead, everything else dies. So he set up some protocols and partnered with Boehringer Ingelheim, a global, research-driven pharmaceutical company, and got the Angel’s Initiative going,” Matlala explained.
The aim of this initiative is to increase optimised stroke care protocols.
The initiative’s endorsed by, among others, the South African Heart and Stroke Foundation and European Stroke Organisation. It is led by a team of specialists like neurologists and general practitioners.
“We as consultants go into hospitals and help them set up a stroke unit. Netcare is the first hospital in Polokwane to get this initiate up and running.
“A stroke unit is not necessarily a part of the hospital, but rather a group of multiple disciplines, like emergency room, radiology and intensive care.”
Last Thursday, the hospital hosted a simulation where a patient came in with stroke symptoms and the doctors and nurses had to assist.
Everyone in the hospital got training on handling a stroke patient.
“The hospital is using a scoring system called the Glasgow Coma Scale, that provides a practical method for the assessment of the patient.
“Globally the time of door to needle, meaning since the patient gets to the hospital until he is stable is 60 minutes, but in South Africa we want to make it 45 minutes.
“If the patient is transferred to the hospital in an ambulance, they can be assessed and stabilised in the ambulance.
“If the ambulance will take too long to get the patient to the hospital, his friends or family should take him, pre-notifying the hospital.”
Signs of a stroke:
‘Act FAST’.
• Face. The person will have assimilate drooping on his face.
• Arms. The person will have weakness in the one side of his or her body and won’t be able to use that arm or leg.
• Speech. The person’s speech will be slurred or strange.
• Time. If you notice any of these signs, call an ambulance.
Phases of a stroke:
• Pre-hospital phase. This is the moment the patient is having the stroke until he gets help.
• Hyper acute phase. This is where all the assessments are done and the patient is stabilised.
• Acute phase. This is where the patient is in ICU, high care or the ward, depending on the severity.
• Post-acute phase. This is where rehabilitation starts.
Causes:
“There are modifiable causes and non-modifiable causes. Modifiable causes are those things you can change while non-modifiable causes are those you can’t change,” explained Matlala.
Modifiable:
• If you have hypertension or high blood pressure.
• If you are diabetic.
• If you have a heart disease.
• If you have high cholesterol.
• A lack of exercise.
• Smoking.
Non-modifiable:
• Age. Even a baby in the womb can have a stroke.
• Gender. A stroke does not choose gender.
• Race. Africans are more prone to strokes.
• Family history.
