- The three emergencies that claim the most lives are brain strokes, heart attacks and Road Traffic Accidents
- The urgency of timely medical help for stroke patients within the ‘Golden Hour’ lacks awareness and lives are lost
- Marengo CIMS offers “Stroke Unit” as a life saviour along with ambulance services that respond within 15 minutes of a distress call
NE HEALTH BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, MAY 22
Marengo CIMS Hospital, Ahmedabad on Monday launched a ‘Stroke Unit’ as a vital component in saving lives that are struck by stroke most unexpectedly. ‘Every minute counts, every life matters’ and to reinforce this, the stroke unit at the hospital will serve patients suffering from brain stroke to maximize the chances to save lives.
This unit is led by a team of Neuro Physicians, Dr. Mukesh Sharma, Dr. Keval Changadia, Dr. Dhrumil Shah and a team of Neurosurgeons Dr. Parimal Tripathi, Dr. Y C Shah, Dr. Deven Zaveri, Dr. T K B Ganapathy, Dr. Sandip Shah, Dr. Jayun Shah.
A stroke, or brain attack, is a condition when blood stops flowing into the brain, resulting in parts of the bodily functions being impacted leading to disabilities or even death. Every second after the brain stroke is very crucial and needs appropriate treatment within the ‘Golden hour’. Stroke results in the brain tissue and millions of neurons start fading away. The brain needs a constant flow of blood and when this flow is interrupted, within a short span of time cells in the brain begin to die without blood or oxygen. This impacts bodily functions, and the patient may suffer partial or whole paralysis with an impact on movement of the body, speech, eating, memory, or even internal control of the body such as the bladder and many more.
The launch of the stroke unit strives to increase awareness of stroke signs and the benefits of timely access to emergency medical care. The unit is equipped with advanced tools, machinery, and infrastructure. This includes
- Gujarat’s First Digitised OTs and ICUs
- Gujarat’s First Carl Zeiss Pentero 900 Microscope (High–end path-breaking innovation for enhanced visualization during surgery)
- Only Private Hospital in Gujarat with 2 Advanced CT Scans – 128 Slice and 16 Slice Advanced MRI Signa Explorer with Advanced Neuroimaging Silent Scan.
- 3 Cath labs for Neuro-intervention
- Advanced 32-channel Digital EEG machine
- 2-Channel EMG-NCV machine (with portability)
- Dedicated Stroke Ambulances
Dr. Mukesh Sharma, Head – Stroke Program says, “Stroke units are established to reduce the results of brain stroke such as disabilities and save lives through the provision of specialist multidisciplinary care for diagnosis, emergency treatments, normalization of homeostasis, prevention of complications, rehabilitation, and secondary prevention. Stroke unit care is the best option for acute stroke with a proven reduction of death dependency. As a well-thought-of strategy for stroke care, the unit is dedicated to optimizing the care extended to improving the overall outcome after a stroke. Marengo CIMS Hospital is positioned currently as a comprehensive stroke center. The stroke Unit is an important component of the stroke program in hospital, equipped to treat every kind of stroke.”
Dr Keyur Parikh, Chairman, Marengo CIMS Hospital says, “As a healthcare provider, Marengo CIMS Hospital has taken giant steps in emerging as a leader in the industry with initiatives across various specialties. Our contribution to the world of Neurosciences stands at par with global standards. Similar to the angioplasty procedure during heart attack emerging as a gold standard of cardiac care in the world, and in India, Marengo CIMS Hospital has developed one of the fastest and best neuro-intervention programs for Stroke in western India and Ahmedabad with an in-house super specialty for immediate angioplasty and various other interventions in stroke patients where required., This hospital remains as one and only in Gujarat hospital with 3 Cath labs, a 4th one coming up in a month’s time, and two CT scans, providing 24/7 availability of world-class stroke management. This initiative in stroke care and management will take the society to better health.”
Gaurav Rekhi, Regional Director, Gujarat & Rajasthan says, “Stroke affects nearly 15 lakh stroke cases detected in India annually, of which Gujarat has a major share. Research shows a shocking number of 600 cases of stroke recorded every day in Gujarat, with almost 20% in people aged below 45 years. The Stroke unit is one of our newer initiatives in taking yet another step towards saving more lives, creating enhanced awareness, and making timely medical treatments increasingly accessible. The stroke unit will make a significant difference to saving more lives with quick responses.”
Around 4000 stroke cases happen daily and not more than even 2 to 3 percent are treated and yet, less than 1 in 4 Indians are aware of stroke symptoms. India currently accounts for 60 percent of stroke patients worldwide. Gujarat registers approximately 18,000 brain stroke cases per month. Studies reveal that stroke is linked to high blood pressure, high blood sugars, and high cholesterol which can be attributed to genetic predisposition. The controllable factors causing strokes are faulty lifestyles, obesity, excessive junk food intake, and overconsumption of alcohol and smoking.
