UNB, Dhaka :
Amid the rising brain stroke rates, the National Institute of Neurosciences & Hospital for the first time in Bangladesh brought the treatment to restore blood flow by dissolving the blood clot causing the stroke without cutting the scull open!
Dr Shiraji Shafiqul Islam, an associate professor at the institute and one of the specialists of the hospital’s Neurointervention Team, told UNB that in developed countries, an alteplase (recombinant tissue plasminogen activator) injection is pushed into patient’s vein in the arm within 4.5 hours from the stroke symptoms begin.
But, if the patient comes to the hospital within 4.5 hours then doctors apply a treatment called ‘Mechanical Thrombectomy’ through which they remove clots that block large blood vessels.
This procedure is particularly beneficial for people with large clots that cannot completely be dissolved with alteplase injection. In medical term, the process is called stent retriever, and it does not require any kind of surgery, said the neuroscience specialist.
Though the Mechanical Thrombectomy treatment has been so far widely used in countries like Singapore, Japan, European countries and even in neighbouring country India, Bangladesh Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital has for the first time started the treatment in Bangladesh as well, said Dr. Shiraji Shafiqul Islam.
After identifying the clot through CT scan and angiogram test, a catheter is threaded into the vein to reach the blood clot and the process of dissolving the clot is continued then, the doctor added.
In February last, Dr. Shiraji along with his specialist team conducted the first successful Mechanical Thrombectomy procedure at the hospital.
On February 23, when a 55-year-old patient, Harun Ur Rashid, was brought to the hospital, Dr Shiraji along with his team conducted the procedure in their cath lab and removed the clot within half an hour saving the patient’s life, said the doctor.
Amid the rising brain stroke rates, the National Institute of Neurosciences & Hospital for the first time in Bangladesh brought the treatment to restore blood flow by dissolving the blood clot causing the stroke without cutting the scull open!
Dr Shiraji Shafiqul Islam, an associate professor at the institute and one of the specialists of the hospital’s Neurointervention Team, told UNB that in developed countries, an alteplase (recombinant tissue plasminogen activator) injection is pushed into patient’s vein in the arm within 4.5 hours from the stroke symptoms begin.
But, if the patient comes to the hospital within 4.5 hours then doctors apply a treatment called ‘Mechanical Thrombectomy’ through which they remove clots that block large blood vessels.
This procedure is particularly beneficial for people with large clots that cannot completely be dissolved with alteplase injection. In medical term, the process is called stent retriever, and it does not require any kind of surgery, said the neuroscience specialist.
Though the Mechanical Thrombectomy treatment has been so far widely used in countries like Singapore, Japan, European countries and even in neighbouring country India, Bangladesh Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital has for the first time started the treatment in Bangladesh as well, said Dr. Shiraji Shafiqul Islam.
After identifying the clot through CT scan and angiogram test, a catheter is threaded into the vein to reach the blood clot and the process of dissolving the clot is continued then, the doctor added.
In February last, Dr. Shiraji along with his specialist team conducted the first successful Mechanical Thrombectomy procedure at the hospital.
On February 23, when a 55-year-old patient, Harun Ur Rashid, was brought to the hospital, Dr Shiraji along with his team conducted the procedure in their cath lab and removed the clot within half an hour saving the patient’s life, said the doctor.
