The Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology (SVIN) Mission Thrombectomy 2020+ Initiative (MT2020+) will announce the first annual World Stroke Thrombectomy Day at the Global MT Revolution Regional Conference on 15 May 2021. By designating this official day, MT2020+ plans to raise public awareness about thrombectomy surgery for the treatment of severe stroke, and instil new global calls to action.
“We are very pleased to announce this annual global day that allows us to call on various stakeholders around the world to rapidly, equitably and sustainably continue to improve access to thrombectomy for stroke in their regions,” said Dileep Yavagal, MT2020+ global chair and GEC co-chair, and past president of SVIN. “The first World Stroke Thrombectomy Day will be announced on 15 May, when 22 countries will begin to report on the tremendous progress in thrombectomy access that has been made in their regions.”
According to a statement from SVIN, thrombectomy surgery is a time-sensitive emergency treatment that can be done up to 24 hours from the onset of stroke symptoms. It can reverse long-term stroke paralysis in the majority of eligible severe stroke patients, and save lives. Currently, the number of eligible stroke patients worldwide who do not receive thrombectomy care is in the millions.
Stroke thrombectomy is a minimally-invasive emergency surgery that was established in 2015 as a highly effective and safe first-line treatment for severe strokes caused by large artery blockages in the brain. When administered during the first 24 hours of the onset of stroke symptoms, the treatment can reverse long-term paralysis and prevent death. The treatment restores blood flow to the brain by opening blocked arteries with catheter-based devices introduced through groin or wrist arteries, and saves brain tissue from permanent damage.
The MT2020+ goal is to double the ratio of thrombectomies in each global region every two years. To achieve these goals, MT2020+ is issuing the following calls to action:
- Governments and health policy makers to allocate resources to build regional thrombectomy systems and implement regional emergency transportation protocols to triage eligible patients to thrombectomy-capable hospitals
- The public to raise awareness about thrombectomy for severe large strokes
- Medical educators and organised medicine to rapidly increase the number of trained physicians in mechanical thrombectomy procedures
MT2020+ members from across the world will attend the two-day Global MT Revolution Regional Conference, where regional committee leaders will present the progress made on thrombectomy capacity and access.
