47,000 paralyzed patients may miss life-saving ‘miracle’ treatment

Thousands of stroke sufferers may miss a “miracle cure” that could save lives and prevent life-changing disabilities.

Mechanical thrombectomy is a revolutionary treatment that uses a stent to remove large blood clots in the brain.

But the Stroke Association says more than 47,000 patients will miss it over the next seven years unless NHS England and the government take immediate action.

This is based on the number of thrombectomies in 2020-21.

Juliet Bouverie, director of the charity, said: “Thrombectomy is a miraculous treatment that puts patients close to death and alleviates the worst effects of stroke.

“It’s shocking that so many patients go missing and suffer unnecessary disability.”

A stroke occurs every five minutes in the UK, affecting around 100,000 people each year.

The Stroke Association is calling for a 24/7 thrombectomy service that it predicts will save £73 million a year by reducing the cost of care for people with long-term paralysis.

The charity says only a quarter of thrombectomy units are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 42% are only open during business hours.

The Stroke Association says NHS England has missed its goal of making mechanical thrombectomy available to more patients, only missing 28% of those who would benefit.

The charity also highlighted “an unacceptable postcode lottery” in the healthcare industry, with around 8% of stroke patients undergoing thrombectomy in London in 2020-21, according to data provided to the medical journal Pulse.

In other parts of the country it was less than three percent, but the statistics may be skewed as some areas send people to London for treatment.

Professor Martin James, Stroke Association Counselor at Royal Devon and Clinical Curator of the Exeter NHS Foundation Trust and Stroke Association, said: “Thrombectomy is truly a revolutionary treatment, but the number of people being treated in the UK is still high. It is lower than elsewhere in Europe and has only increased slowly in recent years.

“At this rate, it’s not available to anyone who can benefit from it for many years to come.”

An NHS spokesperson said: “By connecting services in newly created stroke networks, we are empowering local doctors to provide 24/7 access to life-saving stroke thrombectomy, anticoagulant medication and other specialist services across the country. ‘

A government spokesperson said: “We are increasing the workforce in the health and social sector, with more than 4,000 doctors and more than 9,600 nurses compared to last year and more than 1,400 general practitioners compared to March 2019.

“We are grateful to healthcare professionals across the country who continue to advance stroke prevention and treatment, including access to thrombectomy, as part of the NHS’s ambitious long-term plan.”