2024-10-22 02:20:00
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center (KFSH&RC) has launched the Middle East and North Africa’s first Mobile Stroke Ambulance Unit, bringing advanced medical technology and medical expertise directly to stroke patients. This innovation allows medical staff to use travel time to provide immediate medical care, substantially increasing the chances of recovery and survival, reducing long-term disabilities, and a 70% greater likelihood of restoring normal body functions.
The initiative aims to improve stroke outcomes and accelerate the delivery of life-saving care during the critical first hour after the onset of symptoms. It addresses the specific challenges faced by patients in Riyadh, such as traffic congestion and prolonged transport times to hospitals, which result in delayed access to intensive care, factors that have a crucial impact on treatment outcomes and quality of care. patient’s life.
The Mobile Stroke Unit is dispatched after the Saudi Red Crescent Authority receives a call from the patient’s family about stroke symptoms such as arm weakness, weakening of facial muscles or difficulty speaking. The KFSHRC emergency unit is then notified and the Mobile Stroke Unit is dispatched to the patient’s location, allowing for on-site diagnosis and immediate treatment.
The Stroke Unit, specially equipped inside an ambulance, includes a specialized medical team made up of a vascular neurologist, a critical care nurse, a paramedic and a CT scan technician, who obtain images of the brain tissue and cerebral blood vessels within ambulance prior to arrival at the hospital to determine the cause of stroke symptoms and provide necessary medical intervention at the scene.
The Mobile Stroke Unit is part of the KFSHRC pavilion at the Global Health Exhibition in Riyadh, where visitors can learn about its advanced capabilities, including technologies such as computed tomography, computed imaging, magnetic resonance imaging, carotid artery ultrasound and cerebral angiography, which expand the KFSHRC’s leadership in providing new stroke treatment solutions.
Stroke is a significant health challenge worldwide, the third leading cause of death in Saudi Arabia, and occurs due to a lack of blood flow to a part of the brain or the rupture of a blood vessel, leading to brain damage. Anyone, including children, can have a stroke at any time if risk factors are present.
It is worth mentioning that KFSHRC was ranked first in the Middle East and Africa and 20th worldwide in the list of Top 250 Academic Medical Centers for the second consecutive year and was recognized as the most valuable healthcare brand in the Kingdom and the East Medium, according to the 2024 Brand Finance ranking. Furthermore, in the same year, it was ranked among the 250 best hospitals in the world, being included in the World’ Best Smart Hospitals 2025 list from the prestigious Newsweek magazine.
Media Contact:
Essam AlZahrani
+966 55 525 4429
[email protected]
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