Stroke Association statement on NICE guidelines for thrombectomy

Alexis Wieroniey, Deputy Director for Policy and Influencing at the Stroke Association said:

“The NICE guidelines on use of mechanical clot retrieval (thrombectomy) are a very welcome development in the treatment of stroke. Although a relatively small number of patients will be eligible for this procedure, research shows that the outcomes for those patients are often very good and better than they would have been without the intervention.

“Stroke treatment has improved over the last 20 years but it can still be a deadly and devastating condition; 1 in 8 strokes is fatal within thirty days and for people who do survive, half will be left with a disability, so new and innovative treatments such as thrombectomy are very much needed. NICE guidelines set the stage for thrombectomy to be used on the NHS and we would like to see the procedure routinely commissioned in all areas. Every stroke patient should have access to the same high quality care, regardless of where they are treated.

“Thrombectomy is a highly skilled operation and stroke services need to be set up to be able to deliver the treatment. It is essential to have a new national stroke strategy to ensure this breakthrough procedure is made widely available and to drive improvements in stroke care.”