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Thrombectomy is a method used in stroke patients. The procedure involves the mechanical removal of the thrombus from the vessel. This increases the chance that the stroke patient will not be paralyzed. Thrombectomy should take place within 8 hours of stroke, so efficient diagnosis is necessary, and then transporting the patient to the appropriate hospital. The procedure can help many people.
Until now, stroke has been treated by intravenous administration of a thrombolytic drug whose task was to dissolve the thrombus. In this traditional method, doctors had almost half the time to help the patient. The drug may be administered up to 4 hours and 30 minutes after the stroke. Additionally, not all patients are eligible for this type of treatment. Thanks to thrombectomy, doctors can use catheters to reach the inside of the cerebral artery, find a post-stroke thrombus and then mechanically remove it. The procedure is performed under the control of an angiograph and takes approximately 40 minutes.
Where is thrombectomy performed?
There are several clinics where doctors perform thrombectomy and help stroke patients. The operation is performed in:
- University Hospital number 2 named after dr. Jan Biziel in Bydgoszcz,
- Upper Silesian Medical Center named after prof. Leszek Giec in Katowice,
- Clinical Provincial Hospital No. 2 named after Saint Jadwiga the Queen in Rzeszów,
- Independent Public Specialist Western Hospital named after Saint John Paul II in Grodzisk Mazowiecki,
- Independent Public Clinical Hospital number 4 in Lublin,
- University Hospital in Krakow,
- University Clinical Center in Gdańsk,
- Military Medical Institute in Warsaw.
Is thrombectomy effective?
Currently, mechanical thrombectomy is the most effective method for treating ischemic stroke. This procedure avoids complications, including paralysis. This allows the stroke survivor to function normally. In our country, many people have a stroke, and most of them are ischemic.
How do doctors feel about thrombectomy?
Professionals have different views on thrombectomy. One of the statements that is made is that this procedure is another step that will improve the effectiveness of saving people with ischemic stroke. There are also voices that mechanical thrombectomy is directed to patients with a very severe course of ischemic stroke, which was caused by obstruction of a thrombus in large intracerebral arteries. Therefore, the procedure can be performed in approximately 10 percent of patients. Doctors also believe that thrombectomy is not a replacement for intravenous thrombolysis. According to specialists, intravenous thrombolysis should be performed first. If this method is not sufficient, a thrombectomy can be performed. According to the doctor, the intravenous drug is effective. If it does not dissolve the residual thrombus, it will certainly soften it, and thus – at a later stage, it will be easier to remove. It is important that the procedure can be performed even in patients who are 80 years of age.