Ramaiah Memorial Hospital Announces the Launch of its Comprehensive State-of-the-art Ramaiah Stroke Center

Ramaiah Memorial Hospital, one of Karnataka’s leading private hospitals, has launched its Ramaiah Stroke Center, a state-of-the-art, comprehensive, multi-disciplinary 24/7 stroke management unit with a Neurointensive Care Unit within its hospital premises. The Ramaiah Stroke Center was launched in the presence of Dr. SC Nagendra Swamy, President – Ramaiah Memorial Hospital, Dr. Madan S Gaekwad, Chief Operating Officer – Ramaiah Memorial Hospital, Dr. Aruna D Ramesh, HOD & Senior Consultant – Department of Accident & Emergency, Ramaiah Memorial Hospital, Dr. Sunil V Furtado, HOD & Senior Consultant – Department of Neurosurgery, Ramaiah Institute of Neurosciences, Ramaiah Memorial Hospital, Dr. Mahendra JV, HOD & Senior Consultant – Department of Neurology, Ramaiah Institute of Neurosciences, Ramaiah Memorial Hospital, and the other staff members.

Stroke ranks as the third leading cause of death and the sixth leading cause of disability in India. Also referred to as a brain attack, a stroke can happen to anyone at any time. However, the effects of stroke are not similar for everyone and are based on the severity and the number of strokes that the person suffers. Depending on the earliest signs of stroke, the effects and the damages caused are determined and it is, therefore, crucial to get immediate treatment. While reaching the nearby hospital within the Golden Hour of 4.5 hours from the time of stroke may save the affected person's life, a comprehensive stroke center ensures that the patient is given the right treatment from the moment he arrives and is completely cured and back on his feet.

Sharing his opinion on the necessity of setting up a comprehensive stroke center in the neighborhood, Dr. SC Nagendra Swamy, President – Ramaiah Memorial Hospital said, “The incidence of stroke is on the rise in our country at 138 per 100,000 population. A recent research study by The Lancet South East Asia revealed the need for an immediate and long-term stroke surveillance framework to address the increasing burden of stroke in India. The quintessential challenge, however, remains that of setting up a comprehensive stroke care center that is easily accessible in times of emergency. I am pleased that, we at Ramaiah Memorial Hospital are announcing the launch of our multidisciplinary, all-encompassing Ramaiah Stroke Centre that is designed to run 24/7 and cater to every patient suffering a stroke and ensure that, at every step the patient will be protected and taken care of with utmost precautionary measures.”

The purpose of Ramaiah Stroke Center is to ensure that every incidence of death and disability due to stroke is profoundly reduced through the specialized multidisciplinary approach of timely diagnosis, administering immediate treatments through medical and surgical interventions as needed, thereby preventing complications, rehabilitation, and secondary prevention. A dedicated 6-bed Stroke ICU has been set up within the Neuro ICU to ensure that every stroke patient can benefit from the highest standard of clinical and rehabilitation care provided.

Explaining the importance of following the Stroke Code Protocol in the event of treating a stroke, Dr Aruna D Ramesh, HOD & Senior Consultant – Department of Accident & Emergency, Ramaiah Memorial Hospital, said, “When it comes to stroke management, the Stroke Code protocol is initiated

within the Golden Window Period of 4.5 hours when a patient is suspected of having a stroke. We, at Ramaiah Stroke Center, follow the recommended standards of stroke care of 8 Ds of the Stroke Code including Detection (recognition of symptoms at their early onset), Dispatch (rapidly calling emergency services to transport the patient to a medical facility with pre-notification), Delivery (ensuring that the patient is delivered to the Ramaiah Stroke Center wherein the stroke team is alerted and kept ready), Door (time taken for the patient to arrive at the hospital and get the rapid response team to quickly assess the patient using neurological assessment mechanism to determine the type and severity of the stroke), Diagnosis (quickly gathering necessary medical information and performing imaging tests like CT scan to confirm the type of stroke), Decision (making swift decisions about the best treatment options based on the type of stroke), Drug (administering appropriate medications) and Disposition (plan the next steps after initial treatment).

The benefit of having a comprehensive multi-disciplinary stroke center is to ensure that the likelihood of severe damage or death can be prevented from the time the warning signs are identified till the time the patient is brought to the Stroke Center for treatment. Our robust processes are a testament to the many lives that have been saved over the years and I am sure, with a dedicated Stroke Center, we will continue to save lives in future.”

Emphasizing how Neurointerventions and Nuerosurgical procedures play a significant role in comprehensive stroke centers, Dr. Sunil V Furtado, HOD & Senior Consultant – Department of Neurosurgery, Ramaiah Institute of Neurosciences, Ramaiah Memorial Hospital shared, “There are instances wherein many of the patients are not the candidates for only clot-busting drugs and may need emergency surgery to treat blocked or bleeding brain blood vessels. After the initial tests (such as a CT angiogram) are performed, the results may show a clot inside an artery, blocking blood flow to the brain. In such cases, we use special devices to emergently open these brain arteries, restore blood flow to the brain, and reverse the cause of stroke, thereby giving patients the best chance of recovery. As part of the comprehensive Ramaiah Stroke Center, our team of neurosurgeons is always prepared to perform surgeries or stenting (neuro-interventional procedures) to open a narrowed artery that caused the initial stroke, thus helping prevent future events.”

Dr Mahendra JV, HOD& Senior Consultant – Department of Neurology, Ramaiah Institute of Neurosciences, Ramaiah Memorial Hospital shared, “In the event of a severe stroke, a person’s cognitive and physical abilities are affected and post the assessment at the Emergency ward, the patient may be required to be shifted to the Intensive Care Unit or the ICU. As part of Ramaiah Stroke Center, we ensure that all types of necessary clinical treatments and therapies are given to every stroke patient to ensure that any chances of stroke progression are prevented. The Team, formed by our neurocritical care specialists and vascular neurologists/neurosurgeons specializing in the treatment of stroke, ensures that every patient is duly taken care of. In our dedicated Stroke ICU, the patients are closely monitored and treated for stroke-related disability and functional problems. Apart from this, the patients are offered additional support for other problems such as swallowing, and difficulty in performing bodily functions.”

An integral part of the multidisciplinary Ramaiah Stroke Center is equipped with an advanced, dedicated Neuro Rehabilitation Unit within the hospital premises. Emphasizing the importance of Post-Stroke Neuro-Rehab, Dr Partha Sarathi, Chief Consultant – Neuro Rehabilitation at Ramiah Memorial Hospital further added, “The process of recovery may vary from patient to patient and may take weeks to months to get back to normalcy. At the Ramaiah Neuro Rehabilitation Unit, every stroke patient undergoes a customized evaluation for their physical, occupational, and speech therapy requirements, alongside intensive rehabilitation.”

At Ramaiah Memorial Hospital, the patients, during their stay in the hospital, as well as post-discharge are given the best medical and preventative care to minimize all chances of suffering a recurring stroke.