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	A report says programmes should be set up at two hospitals</p>
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	The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has recommended establishing a national emergency service providing next generation stroke therapy in two hospitals.</p>
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	HIQA says this treatment would be in addition to the standard medical care for stroke.</p>
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	The assessment found that endovascular treatment with mechanical thrombectomy - using tiny devices to physically retrieve clots from the brain - is safe and effective when provided in addition to the current standard medical care.</p>
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	This procedure needs to be carried out within six to 12 hours of onset of symptoms of an acute stroke.</p>
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	Dr M&aacute;ir&iacute;n Ryan is HIQA&rsquo;s deputy chief executive and director of Health Technology Assessment (HTA).</p>
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	She said: &ldquo;Based on doing 268 procedures a year in carefully selected patients, an additional 57 patients are predicted to regain functional independence at 90 days after a stroke.</p>
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	&ldquo;This represents a substantial improvement, with almost 60% regaining functional independence compared with less than 40% without the procedure.</p>
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	&ldquo;Mechanical thrombectomy in conjunction with the current standard medical care is significantly more likely to result in patients who have had a stroke regaining functional independence.</p>
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	&ldquo;The evidence is conditional on the procedure being used with non-invasive arterial imaging, in selected patients, and when using newer stent-retriever devices to remove blood clots from the brain.&rdquo;</p>
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	&quot;Small number of centres&quot;</p>
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	The findings have been presented as advice to Health Minister Simon Harris and the Health Service Executive (HSE).</p>
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	HIQA&rsquo;s HTA also found that an organised national service would need detailed planning to ensure it adheres to quality standards.</p>
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	&ldquo;An equitable, high quality and cost-effective national service can only be provided if the procedure is offered in a small number of centres that are adequately resourced and sited to maximise patient access, workforce expertise and geographical coverage&rdquo;, HIQA adds.</p>
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	Each year in Ireland an estimated 10,000 people have a stroke-related event and an estimated 2,000 people die as a result of stroke.</p>
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	While approximately 30,000 people live with disabilities as a result of stroke.</p>
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	Mechanical thrombectomy procedures have been provided by specialist radiologists in Beaumont Hospital Dublin and Cork University Hospital.</p>
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	However,HIQA says the absence of an organised national service means access to the procedure is not equitable.</p>
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	The five-year budget impact of a national emergency mechanical thrombectomy service, compared to no service, is estimated at &euro;7.2m.</p>
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	This is made up of &euro;3.3m in the first year and annual running costs afterwards estimated at &euro;0.8 to &euro;1.2m - based on treating 268 patients each year.</p>
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	It also says moving from the current ad hoc service, through which 200 patients were treated last year, to a national service would cost an additional &euro;2.8m over five years.</p>
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<p>
	(Published by Newstalk on the 2nd February 2017)</p>
<p>
	<a href="http://www.newstalk.com/HIQA-wants-to-create-national-stroke-units">http://www.newstalk.com/HIQA-wants-to-create-national-stroke-units</a></p>
