The past Wednesday, Jan van der Merwe, project lead of the Angels Initiative, gave a great presentation about the Angels activities worldwide and the impact it has on stroke care. The Angels Initiative is a global program dedicated to improve stroke care and reduce the burden of stroke on society. Their goal is to make sure that as many patients as possible get to be treated in a specialized stroke care centers and get the chance of a best possible outcome.

One of the main points of the presentation was that stroke is not just one disease, but rather a collection of different pathologies that can lead to a range of complications. Van der Merwe outlined the four big killers in stroke: initial & recurrent stroke, as well as pulmonary and cardiac complications. He stressed the importance of treating not only the initial stroke but to also watch out for these following complications in order to achieve the best outcomes for patients. In this context, van der Merwe also emphasized the critical role of time in stroke treatment. The best outcomes can be achieved when treatment is administered as early as possible, which not only prevents deaths but also disabilities.

He then explained the different phases of stroke treatment: pre-hospital, hyperacute, acute, and post-acute. Each phase has its own set of challenges and goals, from transporting the patient to the right hospital, over time sensitive diagnostics and treatment to constant monitoring, rehabilitation and the prevention of new strokes. The success of the overall treatment depends on seamless coordination and communication between healthcare providers in each phase.