|
People who suffer ischemic strokes over weekends are more likely to succumb to them as compared to people who have a stroke on weekdays, a Canadian study has suggested. An ischemic stroke is the most common one and results from the formation of a blood clot that interferes with the flow of blood in the brain.
The "weekend effect" fatality is known to affect patients suffering from cancer and pulmonary embolism, but this is the first study to link it to strokes. However the researchers stressed that patients with obvious symptoms of a stroke should not delay seeking treatment.
Reinforcing the age-old adage that "time is brain", the researchers stressed that timely intervention is vital in patients who suffer a stroke no matter what the time or the day is. Health professionals and care givers also need to be aware of the fact that treating a stroke as an emergency may save lives, they added.
A stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is abruptly cut off either due to a clot or a blood vessel bursting in the brain. This hampers the smooth flow of blood in the brain leading to deprivation of oxygen in certain areas of the brain. Brain cells, which do not receive adequate oxygen, die off quickly leading to potential complications including death.
The present study examined stroke admissions data in 606 hospitals in Canada between April 2003 and March 2004. This data was taken from the national Hospital Morbidity Database.
Around 26,676 patients were admitted in the hospitals and acute care centers with symptoms of ischemic stroke. Among them 6,629 or almost 25 percent of the stroke patients were admitted over weekends. The remaining 20,047 patients were admitted on weekdays.
The researchers revealed that the mortality rate in stroke sufferers admitted during weekdays was 7.4 percent over the next seven days. The fatality rate shot up to 8.5 percent in patients admitted over weekends. Patients who died in a week's time were older ones, although no significant gender differences were noted.
Patients admitted over the weekend were more likely to be older than 75 years and were male, while weekday stroke patients were on average 74 years old.
The details of the study are published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Lead researcher Dr Gustavo Saposnik assistant professor of medicine and director of the Stroke Research Unit Division of Neurology at the University of Toronto said that the "weekend effect" seemed to be rampant even in countries like Canada that had "universal, government-funded health insurance with no co-payments."
The researchers also pointed out that people are more likely to consume drugs or alcohol over the weekend, putting stress on their systems. Additionally weekends are a time when doctors are typically out of hospitals and not on call.
Reacting to the study Dr Larry Goldstein, chair of the Stroke Council of the American Heart Association, said that although the study threw up interesting possibilities, the fact remained that immediate attention can save lives in stroke patients.
"Patients developing symptoms of stroke such as abrupt difficulty speaking or understanding, weakness or numbness affecting an arm or leg, and unexplained difficulty walking or with coordination need to get to a hospital organized to provide stroke care as soon as possible, regardless of the day of the week," he added.
The usual treatment for stroke patients involves surgery, medications, hospital care and rehabilitation, according to the American Stroke Association. However time is of the essence because any delay can prove to be fatal.
 Add as favourites (70)
Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.4 |
Health 
