Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital receives Diamond certification – Highest quality level in stroke treatment
Recently, the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, marked a new milestone in stroke treatment with a Diamond certification awarded by the World Stroke Organization (WSO).
Dr. Nguyen Ba Thang - Head of the Neurological Science Center, Head of the Stroke Unit at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, said that the Diamond certification is awarded to stroke units and centers that meet a series of stringent and strict standards set by the WSO. The required metrics related to emergency and stroke treatment processes include: the time from hospital arrival to administration of thrombolytic therapy (door-to-needle time), the time from patient arrival at the hospital to when a clot‑retrieving device is deployed (door-to-groin time), the proportion of patients undergoing emergency CT or MRI, the proportion of patients with occlusion receiving reperfusion treatment...
The University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City has achieved a series of the highest quality indicators in this field. Notable indicators include: Door-to-needle time within 30 minutes, compared to the general standard of under 60 minutes. Door-to-intervention time is within the optimal range (time from hospital arrival to the insertion of the intervention needle to retrieve the clot); 100% of suspected stroke patients are diagnosed by CT or MRI within the first 15 minutes, whereas the set standard is 45 minutes. Most notably, the proportion of stroke patients receiving reperfusion therapy has now reached over 25%. No stroke cases have been missed or delayed in emergency, treatment, and care at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. This is also the result of the continuous efforts of the medical team and healthcare staff in improving professional quality, facilities, and care services of the entire hospital in general and the Stroke Unit in particular.
At the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, 24/7, every day of the week, there is a dedicated stroke emergency response team ready at the hospital, including neurologists specializing in stroke, physicians, emergency nurses, doctors and CT/MRI technicians, and an endovascular intervention group for clot retrieval.
With a modern machinery and technical equipment system, the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City can perform all the most advanced stroke emergency techniques in the world. The hospital has also applied artificial intelligence in acute stroke treatment and in evaluating ischemic stroke therapy to be able to rescue even the unfortunate patients up to 24 hours after onset. Especially, with a multidisciplinary strength and coordinated collaboration, many cases of stroke patients with complex conditions are consulted by specialist doctors, helping improve treatment effectiveness and recovery for patients.
Not only is it a comprehensive stroke emergency center that has received many quality certifications from reputable organizations, the Stroke Unit of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City also regularly disseminates popular knowledge about stroke prevention and proper emergency response to the community and provides training, assisting many other hospitals in building and perfecting stroke emergency and treatment units. This contributes to Vietnam having more than 100 hospitals with stroke units spread across the country, enabling rapid stroke rescue at the location closest to the patient.
Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Bá Thắng shared, the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City has established a Stroke Unit with close multidisciplinary collaboration. As soon as the patient is brought to the hospital, the stroke emergency protocol will be activated. At the hospital, the rehabilitation process will be built based on the patient's stroke changes immediately after emergency care. From there, appropriate functional improvement methods are provided according to the patient's condition, helping the patient quickly adapt to bodily changes, and return to daily life soon.
“The specialized medical team of stroke experts at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City has made great efforts in establishing and operating a comprehensive stroke center, contributing to enhancing the treatment capacity of many hospitals, and raising public awareness about stroke prevention and treatment. We will strive even harder to prevent stroke disease as much as possible through community health education programs. In stroke emergency and treatment, with optimal emergency and treatment protocols, the hospital's medical staff will always give their utmost effort to help stroke patients avoid severe complications and return to normal life.”
Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Bá Thắng advises that currently there are still mistaken beliefs about emergency treatment of stroke such as: wind scraping, bloodletting, worship rituals; oral medication; transporting the patient by two-wheeled vehicle, waiting for the patient to recover… These are reasons why patients are not rescued properly, causing many regrettable consequences. Therefore remember the signs and response with the phrase: “Crooked smile, slurred speech, drooping hand – Call emergency quickly, go immediately, don’t wait”, promptly bring the patient to the hospital as soon as possible for timely emergency care and treatment.