Stroke second leading cause of death in Pakistan, says Baqar

Interim Sindh Chief Minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar on Saturday inaugurated a ‘stroke intervention program’ at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) Satellite Center at Tando Muhammad Khan and stressed the need for preventive measures to reduce the chances of stroke among young people as stroke is the second leading cause of death in Pakistan.

Virtually inaugurating the NICVD’s Stroke Intervention Programme, he said the estimated population of Pakistan is 225 million with a median age of 22.5 years, and to cater to such a large population “increasing incidence of stroke and lack of infrastructure in both urban and rural areas require immediate attention in Pakistan”.

While addressing the guests at the ceremony, Baqar said through a video link: “There is a high proportion of young stroke with poor stroke outcomes. Acute stroke care is scarce in Pakistan due to few stroke units, and limited availability of alteplase (clot buster treatment) and thrombectomy services in the country.”

He further emphasized that the stroke burden remains high in Pakistan with limited available facilities for stroke care in the country. He commented that after the availability of alteplase (r-tPA) in Pakistan, efforts to improve facilities and centres are the need of the hour.

Lauding the NICVD’s work, the CM recalled that in 2021, the hospital took up the initiative to provide comprehensive stroke services including clot buster treatment and advanced treatment of clot removal (thrombectomy).

“During the last 2 years, it has treated more than 40,00 stroke patients providing acute stroke care services,” Baqar maintained.

He said that the NICVD had trained eight cardiologists to carry out clot removal procedures and were now “moving forward to start stroke services in SICVD Tando Muhammad Khan and SICVD Sukkur to extend the service throughout Sindh”.

NICVD officials said the Stroke Intervention Program, which had seen considerable success at NICVD Karachi, was now being introduced at SICVD Tando Muhammad Khan. This pioneering initiative aims to revolutionize stroke care in the region, providing timely and advanced interventions for stroke patients, they added.

The ceremonial ribbon-cutting for the Stroke Intervention Program was spearheaded by Professor Jawaid Akbar Sial (Executive Director, SICVD) along with Professor Irfan Amjad Lufti (Director Stroke Intervention Program, NICVD). Subsequently, Professor Sial & Prof. Lufti provided a comprehensive briefing to the media, outlining the key aspects and objectives of the program.

“The treatment involves inserting a stent- a small tube- into a blocked nerve in the patient's brain,” said, Professor Irfan Amjad Lutfi. He said that inserting a stent into the nerve, though, was an hour-long and complex procedure, and it helped prevent paralysis after patients suffered a stroke -- a condition that can lead to paralysis if not treated in time.

He said that for optimal effectiveness of the stroke intervention procedure, it is crucial for stroke patients to seek medical attention within the timeframe of 4 to 6 hours from the onset of symptoms. Beyond this window, the patient may not be eligible for the intervention procedure.

It was alarming that the second major cause of death in Pakistan is a stroke and lack of proper awareness. But by the grace of Almighty Allah, hundreds of patients have benefitted from this free of cost “interventional stroke treatment” at the NICVD Karachi, he added.

Congratulating the stroke team, Professor Jawaid Akbar Sial (Executive Director, SICVD) said that a major breakthrough has been achieved in the medical history with the introduction of catheter-based stroke treatment at the SICVD Tando Muhammad Khan.

He said that in line with our commitment to community health, the Stroke Intervention Program at the SICVD Tando Muhammad Khan will be offered completely free of charge. This decision underscores our dedication to making high-quality healthcare accessible to all, particularly those facing the challenges of stroke and cardiac disease.

Professor Sial further said that this program will soon commence in Sukkur, and subsequently, it will be expanded to cater to stroke patients across the entire Sindh province.