TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK

DOHA QUICK response by Hamad Medical Corporation’s emergency and neurology team has saved not only the life of a Qatari woman from stroke but also helped her early recovery from hemi-paralysis.

A 58-year-old Qatari lady was visiting Hamad General Hospital (HGH) when she suddenly suffered the symptoms of a stroke, losing speech and movement on the right side of the body before falling unconscious. She was immediately rushed to the Emergency Department where a CT-scan of her brain showed a stroke with hemiparalysis on the right side of the body associated with speech loss.

The attending medical team decided to give her a thrombus dissolvent injection, a medical procedure normally administered in similar cases of stroke, and which has been proven to lead to remarkable improvement in about 94 percent of stroke cases treated by this method.

“Later on, the patient was sent to the intensive care unit (ICU) where she began to regain consciousness the next morning. She gradually got back her voice and movement in the paralysed right limbs also resumed. Now, she is and fully recovered, according to Dr Muayad of the medical team that attended to the woman. “The patient is currently confined in a ‘nonurgent cases’ room, and regularly walks to the physiotherapy section to do her rehabilitative exercises. She is now free of all stroke symptoms and will be discharged within a few days,” said Dr Muayad.

Besides Dr Muayad Kasem, the attending team included Dr Omar al Mahin, Dr Hani al Dulaimi, Dr Azhar Abdul Aziz, Dr Zeineb Basim and neurologist Dr Atlantic D’ souza.

Brain strokes occur mainly among people over 50 years of age. Its main causes include arteriosclerosis due to high cholesterol level, uncontrolled hypertension and diabetes, as well as an unhealthy lifestyle, including an unhealthy diet and lack of physical exercise.

Eight stroke cases have been successfully treated this year with thrombolytic drug injections at HGH’s Emergency Department, and all the patients have had remarkable improvement and been discharged from the hospital in a good condition.

Thrombus dissolvent is used particularly for the treatment of heart strokes, and should be used for brain stroke for not more than four hours.

The treatment should also be cautiously used for elderly patients, as the latter are likely to be suffering from hypertension and vascular diseases.

Dr Kasem highlighted the importance of knowing the signs and symptoms of stroke, which may include sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body; sudden confusion; trouble with speech or comprehension; trouble seeing with one or both eyes; trouble with walking; dizziness; loss of balance or coordination; and severe headache with no known cause. He emphasised that the success of the treatment depends on early detection and prompt treatment of the stroke.