The Innovation of Thrombectomy for Ischemic Strokes with Kunle Ogungbemi

In this episode, we will explore why Thrombectomy is considered a leading stroke intervention and can contribute to the early rehabilitation and treatment of ischemic stroke. This is especially important if recognised within pre-hospital care. This is due to its effectiveness in rapidly restoring blood flow to the brain and improving patient outcome. In the episode we will explore how this intervention can restore of cerebral blood flow, the time sensitivity of the intervention, the functional recovery of patients undergoing thrombectomy, the minimally invasive approach thrombectomy takes, the collaborative care and finally the positive clinical trials showing it effectiveness. 

To do this I have Kunle Ogungbemi with me. Kunle is the Clinical Lead of interventional Neuroradiology at St George's University Hospitals in London. He has also a named author on a paper examining the Hub-and-spoke model for thrombectomy service in UK NHS practice. So the data suggests that for every 9-minute delay in onset to reperfusion, 1/100 patients will have more severe disability at 90 days. In the hub-and-spoke model, proposes that patients with suspected stroke are initially taken to the nearest hyperacute stroke centre (spoke). Patients with confirmed stroke caused by LVO are then transferred to the thrombectomy centre (hub) with thrombolysis started if appropriate.