Advances in treatments for stroke

It is an exciting time for doctors, therapists and researchers working with stroke. New drugs and technologies are making treatment more effective than ever before. Stroke specialists from all over the UK will come together at the Royal Society of Medicine on 12 December to discuss Key Advances in Stroke.
Among the speakers will be:

Why a fast response must be possible all over the UK
Professor Gary Ford University of Newcastle, - Fast Track Stroke Units
A rapid medical response is vital when a patient has a stroke - to assess the kind of stroke, begin treatment and avoid early complications. However, most places in the UK do not have an acute stroke unit. Professor Ford will be explaining why he thinks "considerable investment" must be made in this area, and will suggest effective ways of organising proper stroke care, from 24 hour Fast Track Stroke Units to fuller training of ambulance paramedics.

The advances that mean we can watch the brain at work
Professor Alan Thompson Institute of Neurology, UCL - Rehabilitation: advances in therapy
Imaging technology has revolutionised the diagnosis, management, and treatment of stroke. Professor Thompson will be explaining why it is a "very exciting time" for post-stroke therapy - the new technology is so sensitive that doctors can see exactly how a particular treatment is affecting a patient's brain. This should allow improvements in the rehabilitation programme and make it easier to evaluate traditional approaches to treating stroke.

Would patients benefit from leaving hospital early?
Dr Anthony Rudd St Thomas' Hospital - Early discharge into the community
Most people who have had a stroke get their early therapy as an in-patient, and most resources for treating stroke are concentrated in hospitals. Dr Rudd will suggest that the emphasis needs to be shifted towards providing more care at home. His work on the UK's biggest study of community-based rehabilitation suggests that discharging patients early is as effective as keeping them in hospital, and less expensive. Most importantly, providing properly trained therapists to make home visits allows much more flexibility - care can be delivered where the patient prefers it.

The One Stop Stroke Clinic
Dr Diana Holdright The Middlesex Hospital - Neurovascular clinics
Stroke is often thought of as a neurological disorder, since it involves a loss of blood supply to part of the brain. Dr Holdright will be arguing that cardiology has a very important part to play in stroke diagnosis and management. She will report on her involvement in developing a unique 'One Stop Stroke Clinic', where a multidisciplinary approach is producing some interesting findings about cardiac abnormalities in stroke patients.

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