Similarities in the acute treatment of stroke and heart attack

Stroke and heart attack are both acute, life-threatening conditions whose immediate cause is a blood clot in the blood vessels of the heart or brain. This clot cuts off the supply of blood – and therefore also oxygen – to an area of tissue. The tissue then dies from lack of oxygen. The longer the blockage lasts, the more tissue is damaged and the more serious the resulting injury (i.e., invalidity) becomes. Left untreated, patients are liable to die: treatment is therefore life-saving.

For every patient, a stroke or heart attack is a personal calamity that has a huge impact on their life, and both conditions (certainly when taken cumulatively) present society with a serious social and economic problem.

The crucial factor in limiting the extent of residual damage from stroke and heart attack is time. The earlier the treatment, the better chance the patient has of surviving and resuming a healthy life. Indeed, in many cases there is no residual damage at all. Slogans such as ‘The Golden Hour’, ‘Time is Muscle’ and ‘Time is Brain’ apply equally to both conditions.

There is also considerable medical evidence regarding the treatment of both conditions, showing a clear relation between the techniques used, type of patient and time of treatment on the one hand, and the effectiveness of treatment in saving lives and limiting residual damage on the other.

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