Over recent months, a growing number of stroke victims have been saved by the Da Nang General Hospital health taskforce.  The hospital is one of the medical establishments nationwide providing emergency intervention and treatment for this disease.

The doctors examining a stoke patient

On duty around the clock, this medical force now consists of 10 talented doctors from the departments of intensive care unit and poison control, diagnostic imaging, and testing.

The special team specialises in diagnosing, giving first-aid, conducting tests, and deciding on proper treatment for anyone arriving at the hospital with symptoms of a stroke. 

The patient is then classified as an ‘urgent case’, enabling a speeded up administrative process so doctors can race against time to save the patient’s life.

It is the fact that, the gold time, the first 3 hours after a stroke, are the crucial ones for getting life-saving treatment.  In the golden hours, every minute passes, 2 million brain cells die.  Accordingly, after 3 hours, the brain will damage totally and doctors also can not save patients.  However, most victims usually are rushed to hospital after experiencing the symptoms, such as numbness, difficulty speaking and vertigo.

The team’s members said that, if treated in time, most stroke patients resume normal lives after several days of treatment in the hospital.  In particular, they are always racing against time because every minute that passes reduces the patient’s chances of survival.

Doctor Duong Quang Hai, one of the best team members, said that his force usually joins in online meetings during which his team members can conduct their diagnosis exchanges with their foreign colleagues worldwide.

Over recent years, the doctors have also instituted several new treatment methods for stroke patients.

According to Doctor Le Duc Nhan, the hospital’s Director, the Alteplase (recombinant tissue plasminogen activator) has been applied at this medical establishment in order to improve outcomes in acute ischemic stroke when delivered within 3 hours of symptom onset. 

It usually takes only 40 minute to apply Alteplase, in comparison with about 72 minutes for other previous treatment methods.

Alteplase IV r-tPA is given through an IV in the arm, also known tPA, and works by dissolving the clot and improving blood flow to the part of the brain being deprived of blood flow.

This method needs to be used within three hours of having a stroke or up to 4.5 hours in certain eligible patients.

When promptly administered, it can save lives and reduce the long-term effects of stroke.

In reality, many people miss this key brain-saving treatment because they don't arrive at the hospital in time for alteplase treatment, which is why it's so important to identify a stroke and seek treatment immediately for the best possible chance at a full recovery.

According to the Viet Nam Stroke Association, a total of about 200,000 people in Viet Nam suffer strokes each year, of whom 11,000 die of this serious disease.

In fact, about 90% of the patients suffer after effects, the severity of which depends on when they were hospitalised and how they were treated.

To prevent the disease, doctors advised people to treat high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, heart diseases, stop smoking and scheduled medical check-up every 3 or 6 months.