Asserting that use of a clot-busting drug saves lives of stroke patients, Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK), have said that patients in Kashmir hospitals don’t receive this life-saving treatment.

“Without treatment, stroke patients end up permanently disabled,” DAK President Dr Nisar ul Hassan said. Adding that the tissue Plasminogen Activator (tPA) is the approved clot-busting intravenous medication that works by dissolving blood clots which cause most strokes. The DAK President said that the timely treatment of this clot-buster reduces disability and improves functionality by restoring blood flow to the brain. “Treatment must start within three hours (in some cases, four-and-a- half hours) of the stroke onset, and the sooner the better,” he said.

Quoting a study, Dr Hassan said patients who did not receive tPA following a stroke were 49 per cent more likely to die than those who did receive the treatment. “Despite life-saving benefits of the drug, patients don’t get it,” he said. He said the peripheral hospitals don’t have stroke management system in place and patients end up in tertiary care hospitals. “Majority of stroke victims don’t reach these hospitals within the crucial time frame due to delayed transportation. Lack of public awareness about the signs of stroke and importance of seeking immediate medical care also leads to delay in arrival at hospitals,” he added.

Dr Hassan said patients who arrive at hospitals in time and are perfect candidates for the clot-buster are not offered this life-saving measure. “And the result is paralysis, impaired cognition, speech or vision, emotional and behavioral dysfunction and many other permanent neurological injuries.” He added that stroke is the leading cause of death and serious long-term disability in the valley.
“Risk of stoke increases for people with high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol and for those who smoke. According to World Health Organization (WHO), one in six people will have a stroke in life-time. That is more than 1.5 million Kashmiris which is a huge number of people,” Dr Hassan added.