DOZENS of stroke patients are expected to benefit during the first year of a new pilot thrombectomy service launching in Edinburgh from today.
The highly specialist procedure, which "catches" potentially deadly blood clots, will be offered on a case-by-case basis initially to a small number of patients who have suffered a life-threatening stroke.
It is expected that around 40 to 50 patients treated at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh will be eligible in the first 12 months, before the service is eventually extended across the East of Scotland once there are enough trained staff to cover the region.
A similar pilot for the North of Scotland, based in Dundee, got underway in November last year, and a third thrombectomy centre in Glasgow should become operational in 2022.
READ MORE: World-first stroke study into impact of Covid on recovery
It is hoped that they will pave the way to a national service able to treat 600 to 800 patients a year.
John Watson, associate director of the Stroke Association in Scotland, said: “This service is long awaited, overdue, but very welcome indeed."
Thrombectomy involves inserting a long tube into an artery in the leg, which is then fed through the body to reach the blood clot in the brain. The blood clot is then captured in a mesh and pulled out.
The removal of the clot allows blood flow to resume and oxygen to reach the brain, halting the damaging effects of the stroke.
The procedure is not suitable for all patients, but can be used when blood clots are too big to be broken down by clot-busting drugs.
Mr Watson said the treatment was "game-changing" and he wanted all eligible patients to have access to it "as soon as possible".
He added: "Thrombectomy has the power to save lives and reduce disability for around one in every ten people who have a stroke.
"The Edinburgh-based pilot is an important milestone on the road to a national 24/7 thrombectomy service for Scotland."
READ MORE: Edinburgh University study finds stroke link to Pfizer vaccine, but data 'reassuring'
Research also indicates that, on average, each thrombectomy procedure saves the NHS £47,000 over a five-year period through reduced requirements for disability and rehabilitation support.
Alison Maclean, 72, from Broughty Ferry, was among the first patients to benefit from Dundee's thrombectomy service after she suffered a stroke while in Ninewells hospital in January this year.
The retired nursery school teacher had fractured her leg in a fall and was due to have an operation on January 26.
However, on the morning of the procedure she suddenly developed weakness in her left side, vision difficulties and problems speaking.
She said: "I don’t remember very much other than being asked to lift my arm and lift my leg and answer questions.
"I thought I was okay, but the next thing I remember is the doctor telling me that he thought I might have had a stroke.
"I believe I was rushed in to a room to get a brain scan following which I underwent a thrombectomy.
"Apparently some blood had leaked from my femur bone causing a clot thereafter the stroke."
READ MORE: Scottish stroke patient's 'remarkable' recovery after thrombectomy
The mother-of-three was discharged from hospital on February 2 and has since made a full recovery.
She said: "I feel great, just the same and I am back to doing all the things I did before my stroke: seeing friends and family, reading, watching telly, going on my exercise bike and for walks."
The drive for a national thrombectomy service follows campaigns mounted by the Stroke Association and Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland (CHSS) after the treatment was withdrawn completely from Scottish hospitals in 2017 for capacity reasons.
Prior to that it was being offered only in rare circumstances.
Robert Baldock, 55, was one of only 13 people who received a thrombectomy in 2017 before the service was axed.
The treatment was his only hope of survival after scan revealed a large clot on his brain which left him with significant communication and mobility problems.
Mr Baldock, from East Lothian, joined CHSS in lobbying the Scottish Government to bring back thrombectomy as a national service.
He said: “Looking back the scariest moment was waiting to find out if I was going to be able to receive a life-saving thrombectomy and the stark possibility of not surviving if not.
“It’s fantastic to see the pilot service up and running in Lothian. We haven’t got the full national service we need yet, but this is a big step that will be life-changing for every person that receives a thrombectomy through this service.”
READ MORE: Glasgow couple back thrombectomy service for Scotland after life-changing Spanish op
CHSS chief executive Jane-Claire Judson said: “This is a welcome step forward for stroke care in Scotland and one step closer to a National Thrombectomy Service. However, we need to see this approach adopted across the rest of the country."
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “Despite the challenges of the pandemic, the Scottish Government remains committed to the roll-out of a national thrombectomy service by 2023 and has already invested more than £17 million in making this happen.
"I am delighted we are taking another significant step towards this objective, with the launch of a pilot service in the East of Scotland.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here