presentation of mechanical thrombectomy, a revolutionary new medical device



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It's a small revolution in emergency medicine. The Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS) validates and promotes a new technique to manage stroke stroke: "mechanical thrombectomy". Stroke, or "cerebral attack," refers to the obstruction or rupture of an artery in the brain.

Today, the management of acute ischemic stroke is based on intravenous thrombolysis. , which must, to be effective, be carried out as soon as possible (4:30 after the appearance of the first signs). This act involves injecting a product that will break up the clot obstructing the artery and allow the blood to circulate again.

A delay of 6 hours after the onset of symptoms

In recent years, a second technique has been development: mechanical thrombectomy. This action consists in extracting the clot mechanically, with a specific medical device. The HAS thus recognizes "the effectiveness of mechanical thrombectomy when it is performed within 6 hours after the onset of symptoms, either immediately in combination with intravenous thrombolysis or as a result of failure of treatment with intravenous thrombolysis, or only in case of contraindication to intravenous thrombolysis ", emphasizing that" this technique provides a benefit in terms of autonomy and improves the quality of life in the long term ".

Thrombectomy allows the removal of a blood clot via catheters: these are inserted at the level of the thigh and go back to the brain via the blocked artery. At the end of the catheter is a kind of stent, that is, a sort of clot trap made of metal mesh. After 3 minutes, the catheter is removed, taking with it the clot. This step is the most delicate of the intervention

A lot of technicality

Most often performed under local anesthesia (although general anesthesia is possible), this operation does not cause pain. "The thrombectomy requires a lot of technicality and can only be performed in blocks equipped with imaging," explains Ouest France Jean-Yves Gauvrit, head of the imaging department of the University Hospital of Rennes and neuroradiologist. The agency therefore wants to increase the number of health professionals authorized to perform this act, strengthen the units already authorized to practice it and create new centers dedicated to mechanical thrombectomy.

Every year in France, 150,000 people suffer from a stroke, one every four minutes. Contrary to popular belief, all ages are concerned, since some 1000 children are also affected. According to the latest study published in the weekly epidemiological bulletin (BEH) of the Public Health Agency France, stroke is the leading cause of death in women, in front of lung cancer, with 18 343 deaths recorded in 2013, and the third cause of death in men (13,003 deaths) after lung cancer and external causes such as accidents or suicide

Mini-stroke and characteristic symptoms

In addition, in patients who have suffered an accident transient ischemic attack (TIA), the rate of cardiovascular events (including stroke) is 6.4% in the first year and 6.4% in the second to fifth year. It should be noted that the cohort of patients in the study followed standard treatments implied by a mini-stroke – an antiplatelet drug (aspirin, etc.) or an anticoagulant to prevent recurrence. The risk to the health of the patient having a minor stroke is therefore significant, and this in the long term, even when the preventive treatment of the recurrence is followed correctly.

The characteristic symptoms of a stroke are as follows:

· numbness of one leg or side of the face,

· sudden or unilateral decline in vision,

· disturbance of sensitivity of limb or side,

· speech disorder, difficulty in expressing, articulating,

· sudden loss of balance, dizziness, walking instability, difficulty in coordinating movements,

· misunderstanding,

· severe and intense headaches,

· chest pain, shortness of breath, impaired mental state, nausea

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