#105 A brain scan on a plane?! Life-saving Australian Stroke Alliance research.

Current research suggests up to 100 Australians a day will suffer some form of stroke. And while many Australians assume that strokes only impact older people, medical evidence indicates the occurrence of stroke is on the rise, particularly in people under the age of 65. Based on current data, by 2050 there’ll be a stroke suffered every four minutes in this country and a million people living with the devastating impact of stroke in our community.

The medical term ‘the golden hour’ refers to the time critical period for accurate stroke diagnosis and life-saving treatment – when patients can be diagnosed as either suffering from a haemorrhage (15%) or a blockage from a clot (85%). The treatment for each ‘type of stroke’ is vastly different. And with current stroke data suggesting that every 15 minutes of delayed treatment also means an additional 1 in 25 people will die and one month of disability-free life is lost, the clock is definitely ticking to find better solutions for rural and remote stroke patients.

The Australian Stroke Alliance initiative is the brainchild of internationally renowned neurologists, Professor Geoffrey Donnan AO and Professor Stephen Davis AO, who have devoted their lives to stroke treatment and research. The goal of the ASA is to develop light-weight brain scanners to rapidly deliver pre-hospital stroke care by air and road ambulances to all Australians. The ASA incorporates over 40 national organisations - including the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, the Stroke Foundation, the Council of Ambulance Authorities, the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Ambulance Victoria, The University of Melbourne and RMIT University. This dynamic alliance is working hard to address major gaps in stroke treatment and timely delivery of life-saving care for Australians living in rural, remote and indigenous communities.