October 29 was the World Stroke Day. Reason enough for the German Stroke Society, DSG for short, to draw attention to the problem of an impending critical undersupply of telemedical stroke care due to financial uncertainty for telemedical networks. However, neurologists from hospitals also criticize undersupply in hospitals that do not have a department for specialized stroke therapy. Help from a specialized stroke team in emergencies 24 hours a day, seven days a week must be included in the broad range of care, explains Matthias Endres, Director of the Clinic for Neurology at the Charité of Berlin University Medicine, as an expert. However, acute stroke care has made very good progress in recent years, as the mortality rate of those affected has halved since 2005. 250,000 people fall ill every year in Germany. Untreated, about 33 percent would die according to the so-called rule of thirds. One third would have severe disabilities after the stroke and one third would remain largely unaffected. However, modern acute therapies for strokes have been able to drastically reduce mortality, as the German Society of Neurology (DGN) also points out. In addition, appropriate intervention measures such as an improved care structure as a result of the establishment of stroke units and certain treatment options are reducing the proportion of patients who would have to expect drastic effects if left untreated. Today, for example, thrombolysis is still possible 4.5 hours after the stroke patient has been admitted to hospital. In addition, specialized centers throughout Germany offer catheter interventions that allow a blood clot to be removed from a blocked blood vessel (thrombectomy) in the event of blockage of large brain arteries. In all cases, however, the time and the corresponding time window for the appropriate treatment options play a decisive role and thus ultimately decide on the success of the therapy, which can break the „rule of thirds“.
Source: Ärzteblatt