Managing strokes better

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in Canada. How can we lessen the impacts of this devastating condition? By providing rapid, coordinated care for patients who are at risk of having or who have already had a stroke.

The approximately 350 patients hospitalized each year for a stroke would benefit tremendously from a unit designed especially for them, and the HMR Foundation wants to make this possible with your support! In addition to dedicated beds, this unit will be equipped with a cardiac telemetry system. Electrodes on the patient’s chest, connected with wires to a small recorder worn by the patient at all times, will transmit real-time signals around the clock to a monitor at the central nurses’ station, allowing arrhythmias, a major cause of stroke, to be detected almost immediately.

Other expected benefits include the rapid investigation of other causes of stroke, and improved coordination of the continuum of care by a neurologist and a neurovascular nurse.