Stroke For Stroke Campaign Helps To Raise Funds And Profile Of UK's Third Biggest Killer

Main Category: Stroke / Neuroprotection
Also Included In: MRI / PET / Ultrasound
Article Date: 09 Jan 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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Siemens Healthcare has recently completed a charity 'Stroke for Stroke' initiative in partnership with The Stroke Association, which saw key company personnel completing a sponsored 10K row.

The campaign, born from Siemens UK sponsorship of the GB rowing team, aimed to highlight the benefits of regular exercise, the need for increased availability of MRI treatment and to raise funds for The Stroke Association.

As well as improving general health and reducing stress levels, regular exercise actually helps to reduce the risk of a stroke by up to 27%*. Rowing has been identified as a good form of exercise to provide an effective cardiovascular workout, without putting stress on the joints. Stroke for Stroke week gave people the chance to discover the benefits of regular exercise by completing a sponsored 10k row over a week.

The government has just announced its 10 year plan to improve stroke care in the NHS. An important factor within this is the increasing availability of MRI or CT scans within 24 hours of patients suffering a suspected stroke. Faster scans can help determine the course of treatment for a patient earlier, helping to save lives. The new strategy will demand the NHS provides fast access to MRI scans for those suffering mini strokes, known as transient ischaemic attacks, which are a good indicator that a person will at some point have a full stroke. This measure alone could lead to a huge reduction in the numbers who go on to have a full stroke. One of the key problems is less than half of patients receive brain scans within 24 hours to confirm they have had a stroke.

"Strokes are the UK's third biggest killer, responsible for tens of thousands of deaths a year," said Peter Harrison, Director of Imaging & Oncology Systems at Siemens Healthcare. "Immediate access to MRI and CT scans for stroke patients is incredibly important and life saving. Siemens Medical Solutions is committed to providing innovative technology that speeds up the quality of patient care, helping to prolong life. The Stroke for Stroke campaign was a fun and energetic way to help raise valuable funds and support a worthwhile charitable cause."

Siemens has just launched the SOMATOM Definition AS, a new CT scanner at RSNA. This adaptive CT is ideal for accurate 3D stroke imaging, yielding the entire extent of a stroke to see the perfusion dynamics of the infracted area and the surrounding tissue to make confident therapy decisions. Further product information is available at http://www.siemens.co.uk/medical.

To encourage participation within the company, the Siemens Healthcare management team led by example with a 'row off'. The two management teams consisted of: Team 1: Gunter Dombrowe, Ian Clarke, Andrew Pattison and Chris Wright. Team 2: Peter Harrison, Neil Wakefield, Roger Jones and John Dall.

* The Stroke Association

Siemens Healthcare is one of the world's largest suppliers to the healthcare industry. The company is a renowned medical solutions provider with core competence and innovative strength in diagnostic and therapeutic technologies as well as in knowledge engineering, including information technology and system integration. With its laboratory diagnostics acquisitions, Siemens Healthcare will be the first fully integrated diagnostics company, bringing together imaging and lab diagnostics, therapy, and healthcare information technology solutions, supplemented by consulting and support services. Siemens Healthcare delivers solutions across the entire continuum of care -- from prevention and early detection, to diagnosis, therapy and care. The company employs more than 49,000 people worldwide and operates in 130 countries. In the fiscal year 2007 (Sept. 30), Siemens Healthcare reported sales of €9.85 billion (on a pro forma basis including Dade Behring roughly €11 billion), orders of €10.27 billion, and group profit of €1.32 billion.

Siemens Healthcare