Global Leaders Meet to Discuss Equitable Access to Life-Saving Mechanical Thrombectomy, Acute Stroke Care

 

Big fucking whoopee.

 

  You delivered NOTHING that gets survivors recovered! 'Care' doesn't deliver recovery you blithering idiots! There is NO leadership anywhere in stroke. How many funerals need to occur before we get great stroke leadership?

Neils Bohr who famously said science progresses one funeral at a time. 

Hope you enjoy NOT RECOVERING from your stroke when you become the 1 in 4 per WHO that has a stroke.  Everyone at this is TOTALLY FUCKING INCOMPETENT!

'Care' NOT RECOVERY! I'd have you all fired!

Global Leaders Meet to Discuss Equitable Access to Life-Saving Mechanical Thrombectomy, Acute Stroke Care

"From Resolution to Action: Investing in Acute Stroke Care" took place during United Nations General Assembly week. The meeting focused on translating global commitments on stroke into concrete improvements in prevention, acute treatment, rehabilitation and access to care(NOT RECOVERY!).

Oct. 8, 2026 — Government officials, global health leaders, clinicians, patient advocates, professional societies and industry partners gathered during United Nations General Assembly week for "From Resolution to Action: Investing in Acute Stroke care(NOT RECOVERY!)," a convening focused on translating global commitments on stroke into concrete improvements in prevention, acute treatment, rehabilitation and access to care(NOT RECOVERY!). The September 22 reception was convened through the Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology's (SVIN) Mission Thrombectomy in partnership with the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU), Philips and Medtronic Neurovascular. 

Photo: Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology

The event brought together representatives from leading international cardiovascular, stroke, neurointerventional and global neurosurgical organizations, including the American Heart Association (AHA), World Stroke Organization (WSO), World Federation of Interventional and Therapeutic Neuroradiology (WFITN), Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery (SNIS), and International Society for Global Neurosurgery (ISGNS), alongside Ministries of Health and other global health stakeholders. Together, they brought perspectives spanning public health, stroke systems, neurointervention, global neurosurgery, policy, and implementation.

From Resolution to Action

The gathering came at a pivotal moment for global stroke policy. WHA79.10, adopted by the World Health Assembly in May, represents a landmark global commitment to addressing stroke comprehensively, including prevention, acute care(NOT RECOVERY!), rehabilitation, and health-system readiness.

Importantly, WHA79.10 was championed by the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population, with support from the Global Stroke Action Coalition (GSAC), a coalition comprising global organizations and industry leaders dedicated to advancing stroke prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and access to care(NOT RECOVERY!) worldwide. The resolution represents an important example of how governments, professional organizations, patient advocates, and industry can work together to elevate stroke on the global health agenda.

The discussion centered on a fundamental challenge: scientific advances have made highly effective stroke treatments possible, including mechanical thrombectomy for large-vessel occlusion, but millions of eligible patients worldwide still cannot access these treatments in time.

Strokenomics: Investing in Recovery

Dr. Fawaz Al-Mufti, Global Chair, SVIN-Mission Thrombectomy, opened the clinical discussion with "The Clinical and Economic Case for Acute Stroke Treatment," highlighting the extraordinary effectiveness of mechanical thrombectomy for eligible patients with large-vessel occlusion stroke. 

Drawing on global data and an economic analysis spanning six countries, Al-Mufti emphasized that investing in access to thrombectomy can represent a fraction of the societal cost associated with stroke-related disability.

"We are already paying for stroke," said Al-Mufti. "The question is whether we choose to pay for recovery today or disability for years to come. A timely thrombectomy can offset a lifetime of disability and its associated costs. We need to stop viewing thrombectomy simply as a procedural expense and recognize access to effective stroke treatment as an investment in people, families and national capacity."

A Riveting Stroke Story of Resilience

The patient perspective was brought into sharp focus by Margaret O'Neil Wheeler, who shared a moving account of resilience and fortitude following a large-vessel-occlusion stroke. Accompanied by her husband, whose prompt recognition and action helped get her to life-saving care(NOT RECOVERY!) in time, Wheeler was reunited at the event with Dr. Fawaz Al-Mufti, who performed her emergency mechanical thrombectomy at Westchester Medical Center. Their reunion put a human face on the numbers, offering a powerful reminder of what timely access to advanced stroke care(NOT RECOVERY!) can mean: not simply survival, but recovery, independence, and the opportunity to return to life after stroke.

From Global Advocacy to Global Access

Dr. Dileep Yavagal, Founder and Global Chair Emeritus, SVIN-Mission Thrombectomy, followed with "From Global Advocacy to Global Action."

Yavagal described stroke as a "long neglected pandemic" and emphasized that solving the global access gap requires more than simply building additional thrombectomy centers. Sustainable systems require public and pre-hospital education, government advocacy, technology, financing, trained teams, and implementation strategies tailored to individual countries.

"We have crossed the scientific frontier - we know thrombectomy can profoundly alter the course of a devastating stroke," said Yavagal. "The frontier before us now is access."

Turning Recognition Into Action

The urgency expressed at the convening reflects a broader commitment from SVIN leadership to translate scientific progress and global policy recognition into measurable improvements in stroke care(NOT RECOVERY!) worldwide.

Santiago Ortega-Gutierrez, MD, President of the Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology, framed this as a responsibility for SVIN and the broader stroke community:

"Stroke does not respect borders, and access to life-saving treatment should not be determined by where a patient lives. The science is clear, the therapies exist, and the global community has recognized stroke as an urgent health priority. Our responsibility now is to turn that recognition into action. Through Mission Thrombectomy, SVIN is committed to measurable progress in access, treatment, and recovery—with the goal that every eligible patient has a meaningful opportunity to survive stroke without preventable disability."

Kaiz Asif, MD, Vice Chair of SVIN–Mission Thrombectomy, focused on the ultimate measure of that progress: whether treatment reaches patients:

"Recognition is important, but ultimately our success will be measured by access. Our goal is to translate this global momentum into a simple reality: that more patients, regardless of where they live, can reach life-saving thrombectomy in time."

Robin Novakovic-White, MD, President-Elect of the Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology, emphasized the collaboration required to translate scientific advances into equitable access:

"The science has given us the ability to dramatically change the outcome of a devastating stroke. The next challenge is ensuring that this opportunity is not defined by geography or resources. That will require sustained collaboration among clinicians, health systems, governments, and communities to translate what we know into meaningful access for patients worldwide."

Building Systems 

Industry partners underscored that innovation must be accompanied by the systems required to deliver treatment.

"Innovation alone is not enough. Devices and therapies make a meaningful difference only when patients can reach the right facility, receive timely diagnosis, and be treated by trained teams within an integrated system of care(NOT RECOVERY!)," said Signe Haughton, Senior Director of Medical, Government, & Societal Affairs and Chief of Staff at Medtronic Neurovascular

Philips emphasized the role of connected technologies and workflows:

"For people experiencing stroke, every minute matters. Better-connected data, technologies, and clinical workflows can help healthcare professionals make timely decisions, support rapid diagnosis and appropriate treatment, and expand access to the right care(NOT RECOVERY!) when patients need it most," said Felipe Basso, Chief Executive Officer, Latin America, Philips.

What Implementation Can Look Like

Dr. Mohamed Fawzi, Radiology Advisor to the Minister of Health and Population, Ministry of Health and Population, Arab Republic of Egypt, provided a country perspective on building a national stroke system.

Egypt's progress includes 206 stroke units and centers, 58 certified through GAHAR, free thrombolysis, reimbursement for thrombectomy, approval of tenecteplase, and a prehospital hotline linking approximately 100 hospitals. A national electronic stroke registry is also being launched, with plans to expand the network to 440 units, strengthen certification, establish a national rehabilitation pathway, and publish national treatment rates and treatment times.

The message emerging from the convening was clear: a resolution creates momentum; implementation is what changes outcomes for patients.

The science exists. The therapies exist. The opportunity now is to build the systems that ensure every eligible patient - regardless of geography or resources - can reach life-saving stroke treatment in time.

To learn more about the meeting,  go to www.svin.org/

Centering Stroke Survivors to Improve Stroke Care

 This is why the AHA/ASA needs to be destroyed! 'Care' NOT RECOVERY!

 There are massive amounts of research needing followup if we had ANY LEADERSHIP AT ALL IN STROKE!

But since we have blithering idiots in stroke; NOTHING IS EVER ACCOMPLISHED! 

• further research (404 posts to February 2012)
• human testing (341 posts to March 2011)

Centering Stroke Survivors to Improve Stroke Care

Dr. Nirupama Yechoor is the Medical Director of the Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Neurology at Mass General Brigham/Harvard Medical School. Dr. Devanshi Choksi is a postdoctoral research fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital. Together, they study how to improve care and recovery for people with neurological illnesses. Their work focuses on both medical care and the social factors that affect health.

You two can reach me at oc1dean@gmail.com since I can't figure out how to reach you. We can figure out a strategy to get to 100% recovery. Your doctor somehow missed the recovery protocol that Pedro Bach-y-Rita  used to recover fully back in 1958 with only a partial brain! And solving the  5 causes of the neuronal cascade of death in the first week saving hundreds of million to billions of neurons would make rehab protocols much easier to get to 100% recovery!

Putting Stroke Survivors at the Center of Research

Three years ago, Dr. Yechoor and Dr. Choksi received an American Heart Association Collaborative Sciences Award. Their goal was to place stroke survivors at the center of stroke research. Instead of having researchers decide alone which questions were most important, they wanted to learn directly from people who had lived through stroke recovery.

Listening to Real-Life Experiences

Working with Stroke Onward, the research team recruited stroke survivors and care partners from across the United States. Participants represented different backgrounds, ages and life experiences. Through interviews and focus groups, survivors shared stories about:

• Recovering from stroke
• Returning to work
• Rebuilding relationships
• Caring for family members
• Finding support

These experiences often happen outside the doctor's office, but they have a major impact on recovery.

Understanding the Gaps in Stroke Recovery

As part of this project, Dr. Yechoor and Dr. Choksi published their findings and hosted discussions through the Stroke Onward Community Circle (SOCC). One question guided much of their work: How can research better reflect the real experiences of stroke survivors?

The team found that there is often a gap between what survivors’ experience and what researchers choose to study. While medical treatment is essential, many challenges begin after a person leaves the hospital and returns to daily life.

Their research highlighted several areas that deserve more attention, including:

• Spiritual well-being
• Loss of independence
• Fear about the future
• Feelings of shame and loneliness
• Difficulty understanding health information

The Emotional Challenges of Recovery

Many survivors spoke about the emotional side of recovery and how difficult it can be to adjust to changes in their abilities.

One survivor shared:
“I had a walker and that actually helped me out a lot. Even though I was embarrassed to use it out in public because I was 22.”

Another participant described the emotional impact of living with a disability after stroke:
“We’re using a handicapped tag and people are commenting on how slow I’m walking in the grocery store or asking why I need that tag? There are all these emotional pieces to feeling like I have to justify that in my head.”

These experiences show that recovery involves much more than physical healing.

The Importance of Community and Peer Support

Their 2026 paper highlights the importance of community and peer support.

One participant said:
“But in terms of community, the one thing that stands out most of all is there is a meditation group that gathers outside my place of work. It is very peaceful and allows me to process my emotions. I cannot do this when I’m writing emails at work because usually that’s when I can’t channel my anxiety that well.“

Many participants said that talking with other stroke survivors, both in-person and online, helped them feel understood and gave them hope. The findings suggest that peer support should be viewed as an important part of recovery, not just an optional service. Healthcare systems should find ways to make these programs more widely available alongside rehabilitation.

Making Health Information More Accessible

The research also revealed opportunities to improve how health information and education is presented.

Many hospital discharge packets and educational materials are too long, too complicated, or not helpful during a stressful time.

One clinician observed:
“We have a brochure that I don’t believe is the best method. It’s 40 pages long with chapters. It doesn’t seem like the most effective approach when you’re in crisis.”

The researchers believe that improving health literacy requires more than using simpler words. It means creating information in different formats that meet survivors where they are and help them throughout recovery.

The Ongoing Work

In a recent research abstract, the team identified additional gaps in the care and resources available to stroke survivors. Although these findings are still being reviewed, they support a growing belief that scientific research and lived experiences should work hand in hand.

Stroke survivors can help shape:

• The questions researchers ask
• The programs that are developed
• The policies that guide stroke care

At its core, this work is about partnership. It brings together stroke survivors, care partners, advocacy organizations like the American Heart Association and Stroke Onward, healthcare professionals, therapists and researchers.

Survivor experience should not only be used to validate research after studies are completed. They should help guide the research from the beginning.

By listening to people's experiences, researchers gain valuable knowledge that can improve care, influence policy and lead to better research. Putting stroke survivors at the center of research can help create a stroke care system that is more responsive, more inclusive and better for everyone it serves.

Stroke Rehabilitation: A Function-Based Approach - book

 Notice the COMPLETE FAILURE of this book; 'management' NOT RECOVERY!

When your therapist references this book; DEMAND 100% RECOVERY PROTOCOLS! Not this 'management' crapola!

Stroke Rehabilitation: A Function-Based Approach

by Glen Gillen EdD OTR FAOTA (Author), Dawn M. Nilsen EdD OTR/L FAOTA (Author)

Learn to confidently manage the growing number of stroke rehabilitation clients with Gillen’s Stroke Rehabilitation: A Function-Based Approach, 5th Edition. Using a holistic and multidisciplinary approach, this unique text remains the only comprehensive, evidence-based stroke rehabilitation resource for occupational therapists. This new fifth edition has been extensively updated to include the research, trends, and best practices in the field. As with previous editions, this comprehensive reference uses an application-based method that integrates background medical information, samples of functionally based evaluations, and current treatment techniques and intervention strategies.

• Case studies challenge you to apply rehabilitation concepts to realistic scenarios.
• Evidence-based clinical trials and outcome studies clearly outline the basis for stroke interventions.
• A survivor's perspective is included in one chapterto give you a better understanding of the stroke rehabilitation process from the client point-of-view.
  • Multidisciplinary approach highlights discipline-specific distinctions in stroke rehabilitation among occupation and physical therapists, physicians, and speech-language pathologists.
  • Review questions in each chapter help you assess your understanding of rehabilitation concepts.
  • Key terms and chapter objectives at the beginning of each chapter help you study more efficiently.
  • NEW! Revised and expanded content keeps you up to date on the latest information in all areas of stroke rehabilitation.
  • NEW! Updated references reflect the changes that have been made in the field.
  • NEW! Assessment Appendix and Pharmacological Appendix
  • UPDATED! Resources for Educators and Students on Evolve  

Bringing specialized stroke rehabilitation closer to home for rural Albertans

 You really are that blitheringly stupid you think survivors want 'care'; NOT RECOVERY! You'll change your mind when you are the 1 in 4 per WHO that has a stroke. 

You reference spasticity a number of times but you HAVE NO CURE FOR IT! Why not?

Bringing specialized stroke rehabilitation closer to home for rural Albertans

A province-wide collaboration is connecting rural patients with specialized expertise to expand access to care(NOT RECOVERY!) across Alberta.

EDMONTON, AB, Sept. 22, 2026 /CNW/ -- A new program is expanding access to specialized care(NOT RECOVERY!) for Albertans living with spasticity following a stroke, bringing assessment closer to home for people in rural and remote communities.

Spasticity is a common complication following stroke that causes muscles to become stiff, tight, or difficult to control. For some stroke survivors, it can significantly affect movement and limb function, contribute to chronic pain, and make everyday activities and independence more difficult. Stroke survivors in rural Alberta face significant barriers to timely spasticity care(NOT RECOVERY!), including long travel times and uneven access to specialized services. This can delay diagnosis and treatment, leading to poorer functional outcomes, greater pain and disability, and increased pressure on the health system.

The new Post-Stroke Spasticity care(NOT RECOVERY!) for Rural Albertans initiative is designed to help close that gap, connecting patients in rural and remote communities with rehabilitation specialists in Alberta's major urban centres for virtual assessment, allowing for earlier diagnosis and faster access to appropriate rehabilitative treatments — without the need to travel long distances to access that expertise. A collaboration between the Government of Alberta, Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital, Glenrose Hospital Foundation, University of Alberta Rehabilitation Robotics Lab, and AbbVie, this initiative will make specialized spasticity care(NOT RECOVERY!) more accessible to patients, no matter where they live.

Funded by the Glenrose Hospital Foundation, Alberta Innovates, the Government of Alberta, and AbbVie, the initiative utilizes a technology developed at the University of Alberta and refined through an integrated clinical partnership with the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital that allows specialists to remotely assess upper extremity spasticity(NOT CURE!)in stroke survivors living in rural settings.

Expected outcomes include improving access to post-stroke spasticity care(NOT CURE!) in rural communities, enabling earlier and more coordinated support for stroke survivors, and strengthening collaboration among healthcare, industry, and community partners.

QUOTES

"Albertans recovering from a stroke should be able to access specialized rehabilitation care(NOT RECOVERY!), no matter where they live. By connecting patients in rural and remote communities with specialists through innovative technology, this initiative will support earlier assessment and treatment while reducing the need for long-distance travel."

– Justin Wright, Minister of Primary and Preventative Health Services

"Albertans experiencing spasticity(NOT CURE!)after a stroke benefit when specialized expertise and local healthcare providers work together. By connecting rehabilitation specialists with primary care(NOT RECOVERY!) and community providers, we can strengthen coordination from assessment through treatment, helping them access the care(NOT RECOVERY!) they need sooner and closer to home."

– Kim Simmonds, CEO, Primary Care Alberta

"For stroke survivors living in rural Alberta, accessing specialized post-stroke care(NOT RECOVERY!) can mean hours of travel. This initiative changes that, and demonstrates what's possible when government, healthcare, research, industry, and philanthropy come together with a shared commitment to improve access to specialized care(NOT RECOVERY!) and ensure rural Albertans can receive the care(NOT RECOVERY!) they need, when they need it."

– Mark Korthuis, President & CEO, Glenrose Hospital Foundation

"Point-of-care technologies are helping us address inequities that underserved patients face across our healthcare system. Many stroke survivors experience increasing muscle stiffness in an arm or hand, and determining the right treatment requires expert clinical assessment. Collaboration between clinical, rehabilitation technology, and research teams have led to the development of technology that allows these assessments to happen virtually, reducing the need for patients and families to travel long distances for expert care(NOT RECOVERY!). With this funding, we will deploy virtual care(NOT RECOVERY!) kits in rural communities across Alberta and evaluate how this approach improves access to specialized care(NOT RECOVERY!)."

– Martin Ferguson-Pell, Ph.D., Director, Rehabilitation Robotics Laboratory, Professor, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta

"People living with post-stroke spasticity in rural and remote communities deserve the same access to high-quality care(NOT RECOVERY!) as those in urban centres, because when every day care(NOT RECOVERY!) is delayed it can mean more pain, less independence, and precious time lost before rehabilitation begins, while also placing a significant physical, emotional, and mental strain on caregivers. Initiatives like Post-Stroke Spasticity Care for Rural Albertans demonstrate how collaboration and innovation can help address healthcare gaps, strengthen care(NOT RECOVERY!), and make a meaningful difference for patients, families, and healthcare providers in Alberta."

– Tanu Misra, Vice President & General Manager of AbbVie Canada

About the Glenrose Hospital Foundation

The Glenrose Hospital Foundation supports research, technology, equipment, and services that help patients at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital recover, relearn life skills, and rediscover their full potential. Through fundraising and collaboration, the Foundation drives innovations that improve care(NOT RECOVERY!) for families across Alberta and beyond.

About University of Alberta Rehabilitation Robotics Lab

The Rehabilitation Robotics Lab (RRL), in partnership with the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry and the SMART Network, advances quality of life through robotics and rehabilitation technology. Its interdisciplinary research spans assistive robotics, wheelchair biomechanics, spinal assessment, telerehabilitation, virtual reality, and human-movement simulation. Equipped with motion-capture systems, immersive VR and a six-degrees-of-freedom robotic platform, RRL brings researchers and trainees together to develop inclusive, accessible, and transformative rehabilitation solutions.

About AbbVie

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas including immunology, oncology, and neuroscience — and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.ca. Follow AbbVie in Canada on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.