EditorSAFE, Author at SAFE

TENSION trial reveals that thrombectomy is safe to use in patients who have had a severe stroke

Mar 13, 2024

TENSION is a large international study that was launched in 2018 with the hope to extend the benefits of a treatment called mechanical thrombectomy to stroke patients who are not currently offered this treatment option.

Thrombectomy is a treatment for certain types of acute ischaemic stroke. It uses very small devices to breakdown and remove the clot from the blood vessel in the brain. It can drastically reduce the level of post-stroke disability by restoring blood flow and therefore limits brain damage.

So far, thrombectomy trials have included highly selected groups of stroke patients – those with only small blood infarcts in the brain. This means that thrombectomy treated is limited and only available to small number of people.

The TENSION project aimed to determine if thrombectomy was safe to use in patients who had a severe stroke i.e. where a large blood clot had caused the stroke.

The trial results which were simultaneously unveiled at the World Stroke Congress and published in The Lancet, found that using thrombectomy can significantly help patients with severe strokes caused by blocked blood vessels in the brain. The study’s findings are likely to pave the way for broader consideration of this approach for a greater number of patients in the future.

“This is great news and if the results drives treatment guidelines updates, more patients should experience improved outcomes after a severe stroke” says Prof Dr Götz Thomalla, Principal Investigator of the study.

TENSION has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 754640.

Funded by the EU

ELASF will be accredited by EACCME® for healthcare professionals

Feb 16, 2024

The European Life After Stroke Forum on 11-12 March in Dublin, has been accredited by the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME®). This means that healthcare professional delegates will be awarded 6.5 European CME credits (ECMEC®s) following the completion of our post-event survey.

Member spotlight: Estonian Stroke Patients’ Society

Jan 31, 2024

As part of our new member spotlight series, the Estonian team have shared their news with us.

Greetings from the Estonian Stroke Patients’ Society!

Over the past six months, our organisation has undergone a period of huge change that has been touching almost every aspect of the Society. The reason for this overhaul was the realisation that we wouldn’t be able to create the organisation we wanted, by doing what we had always done. We needed to revert to basics and build a solid foundation to continue to build on to achieve our new vision, mission and goals. Here are some of the key actions we have undertaken to lay these foundations and continue to respond to the unmet needs of stroke survivors in Estonia:

We launched a ‘Science and Development Team’ consisting of nine specialists from various fields, ranging from those with strategic and technical knowledge to health specialists, including one doctoral student in neuroscience. The goal of the team is to support our continued development, using their knowledge to drive activities, so that we are sustainable, the voice of stroke patients is heard, and we are considered as an equal partner in stroke in the future.

We have also updated our visual look and feel with a new logo, a new colour scheme and a brand-new website. This new visual style has also been applied to our information materials, including a guide that supports stroke patients to access therapy.

One of our proudest moments was hosting our information day, “Informed Patient”, on December 15. It was aimed at stroke patients and their needs, and featured lecturers from state institutions, medical facilities, and collaboration partners and it was all well received by stroke survivors. These efforts did not go unnoticed, the event received coverage in the media, including TV, newspapers, and health portals.

To further solidify our commitment to patient advocacy, we were honoured to be re-elected as a member of the North Estonian Regional Hospital’s patient advisory board for the period 2024-2027.

As we move into 2024, our Society will continue our focus on science, innovation, and collaborations with patient associations, both within Estonia and abroad.

Elen Kirt, Estonian Stroke Patients’ Society

If you have any questions about Estonia’s activities, please contact Elen Kirt elen@insuldiselts.ee

If you have news to share about your organisation, please e-mail Anna Scott on anna.scott@safestroke.eu

European Life After Stroke Forum – Early bird registration ends 31 January

Jan 18, 2024

We are now only two months away from the next European Life After Stroke Forum which takes place in Dublin on the 11-12 March. This second in-person life after stroke focussed event promises to be a vital platform for sharing insights, discussing the latest research, and delving into best practices in this often under-researched topic. We will be bringing together stroke survivors, caregivers, healthcare professionals, researchers and advocates to address life after stroke issues.

The last day to take advantage of early bird discounts on our registration rates is 31 January – don’t delay, click to register now.

SAFE members calls for EU to implement CVD health plan

Dec 18, 2023

Last week saw five SAFE members travel to Strasbourg to join the European Alliance for Cardiovascular Health (EACH) and European Stroke Organisation (ESO) to come together to jointly advocate for population-wide access to cardiovascular risk assessments and care pathways that focuses on individual patients needs and goals. SAFE and ESO have committed to ensure that any EU CVH plan will also include the principles of the Stroke Action Plan for Europe.