Experts warn of increased risk of stroke when the weather turns cold

(Dan Tri) - The Stroke Center, Bach Mai Hospital receives 12,000-13,000 stroke patients each year. During the cold season, the number of patients tends to increase.

Cold weather increases the risk of stroke

Doctor Nguyen Tien Dung, Deputy Director of the Stroke Center, Bach Mai Hospital, said that cold weather has caused an increase in the number of stroke patients.

Experts warn that cold weather causes blood vessel constriction, increasing blood pressure, increasing the risk of blood clots, leading to strokes due to cerebral hemorrhage and cerebral infarction.

Patients are treated at the Stroke Center, Bach Mai Hospital (Photo: PV).

Recently, the Center received an 18-year-old girl in Hanoi who suddenly collapsed while participating in an extracurricular activity at school.

After being treated at Ha Dong Hospital, the patient was transferred to Bach Mai Hospital in a coma. X-ray results showed that the patient had a brain hemorrhage due to a ruptured congenital vascular malformation, a type of stroke in young people.

After a week of intensive treatment at the Stroke Center (Bach Mai Hospital), the female student was awake, able to talk, and move her limbs, but still could not walk normally.

According to Dr. Dung, in young people, stroke often originates from congenital cerebral vascular malformations, along with unscientific lifestyles such as staying up late, prolonged stress and lack of exercise. Meanwhile, in the elderly, it is often related to underlying diseases, such as high blood pressure.

More than 90% of stroke patients receive early thrombolytic injections

On the morning of November 3, Bach Mai Hospital held a ceremony to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the establishment of the Stroke Center and received a certificate of merit from the Prime Minister .

The center's leaders said that the center is the first unit in Vietnam to be awarded the certificate of Specialized Stroke Center by the World Stroke Organization (WSO).

This is the highest certification in the WSO assessment system, requiring strict criteria on facilities, human resources, diagnosis and treatment processes, training activities, scientific research, as well as development of emergency and stroke treatment networks.

According to statistics, each year, the Center receives about 12,000-13,000 stroke patients, mainly severe and complicated cases transferred from satellite facilities.

The consultation and coordination center ensures emergency treatment for all stroke patients in all clinical units of the Hospital, closely coordinating with these clinical units to quickly implement emergency procedures.

Of which, the Center treats brain reperfusion with thrombolytic drugs for about 400-500 cases each year. "In particular, among patients with indications, more than 92% are injected with thrombolytic drugs very early, within 60 minutes, from the time of arrival at the hospital. This is a rate much higher than international standards," the leader of the Stroke Center informed.

Each year, the Center performs mechanical thrombectomy for about 650-750 cases, with a successful recanalization rate after mechanical thrombectomy reaching 89%.

In addition, the Center routinely performs specialized stroke patient resuscitation techniques; closely coordinates with multiple specialties in emergency care for severe stroke patients; coordinates the implementation of necessary and specialized paraclinical procedures to determine the cause and pathogenesis of stroke; and rehabilitates patients.

At the event, Prof. Dr. Tran Van Thuan, Deputy Minister of Health, highly appreciated Bach Mai's pioneering role in the entire process of building a smart hospital model, promoting evidence-based medical research, applying high technology, and developing international integration capacity.

In particular, the Stroke Center of Bach Mai Hospital has turned technology into life, saving tens of thousands of stroke patients each year.

Prof. Dr. Tran Van Thuan, Deputy Minister of Health, awarded the Prime Minister's Certificate of Merit to the Stroke Center, Bach Mai Hospital (Photo: Provided by the Hospital).

Associate Professor, Dr. Dao Xuan Co said that the Stroke Center of Bach Mai Hospital performs many new and difficult techniques in emergency and stroke treatment, saving many very severe stroke cases.

The center has successfully combined two reperfusion methods (thrombolytic and mechanical thrombectomy) in a very elderly patient (103 years old); hypothermia technique in treating cerebral stroke, helping to save the lives of many cases of critical cerebral hemorrhage...

In particular, the center masters the technique of emergency external ventricular drainage, a specialized stroke technique that helps save the lives of many patients with intraventricular hemorrhage, a serious medical emergency.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/chuyen-gia-canh-bao-nguy-co-gia-tang-dot-quy-khi-troi-tro-lanh-20251103210309534.htm