NEW TREATMENT FOR STROKE VICTIMS

Professor Craig Anderson (a former appointee to the Freemasons Chair of Gerontology) now works in Sydney at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital as Director of their Stroke Unit.

This week the Sydney Morning Herald reported on a revolutionary new treatment for stroke victims.

People who attend hospital within three hours of having a stroke could soon be given a new treatment that it is hoped will save thousands of lives and reduce paralysis and disability.

Eligible patients taking part in an international trial, starting this week at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, will have a tiny catheter inserted into their femoral arteries and fed through their bodies into their brains. Once the tubing finds the blockage it forms a corkscrew which pulls the clot out of the body allowing blood to flow freely again.

Patients will also be given a dose of a clot busting drug, standard treatment for stroke victims at major hospitals.

Some patients who have received the treatment have had remarkable results with any paralysis reversed within hours.

Professor Anderson was quoted as saying " this is a pretty innovative treatment and we are excited that it could improve the outcome for most stroke patients."