Stroke registry coming for Manchester

With the increasing number of stroke patients being diagnosed and treated at the Percy Junor Hospital in Manchester, a stroke registry, aimed at capturing vital data about the condition, will be launched on June 28.

Roosevelt Carty, registered physical therapist, said between July 2018 and March 2019, more than 40 patients were diagnosed with stroke; that is a high number for a Type C hospital.

"I worked at Black River Hospital before coming here and the number was not so high. Following the launch, we will begin to record the numbers on July 1 and collate the data to see how best we can use that data to inform policy decisions, locally and nationally. The data will be tabulated, and a research paper will be done and shared with the hospital administration and the Ministry of Health," Carty said.

Carty states that the level of attention paid to stroke patients is not adequate.

"When one member gets a stroke, the entire family is affected," Carty explained, adding that caregiver burden is a major drawback to stroke patient recovery.

He emphasised that when stroke victims are neglected, they either become depressed or die.

"Very often, stroke victims are roughed up by family members, and if the patient's mental state is also affected and they are depressed, their recovery is not that fast. To that end, a Stroke Support Services Initiative (SSSI) involving monthly or quarterly meetings will also be established," he told CENTRAL STAR.

However, Carty cautioned younger persons who have also been diagnosed as hypertensives.

He said poor management of hypertension can lead to stroke, and drinking the popular energy drinks, mixed with rum or other alcohol, increases the heart rate.

"We are seeing more incidences of the early diagnosis of stroke resulting from excessive consumption of this drink combination. When questioned, they do admit to drinking the dangerous concoction - and these cases are usually from the lower socio-economic strata of society," Carty said.

Through the SSSI, stroke survivors and their families will meet at Percy Junor for counselling and other services on a case-by-case basis.

This initiative will also be launched on June 28 at the hospital's Customer Appreciation Day event.

When the stroke registry is fully operational, Carty says he hopes it will also help to inform how to assist outpatients, who will be included in phase two of the project.