1. Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability in Australia, with a $6.2 billion direct financial cost and a further $26 billion in lost well-being and premature death.
2. For several years now, mechanical thrombectomy has been considered a gold-standard treatment for this type of stroke. However, only a fraction of patients who would benefit are receiving the treatment, and there are significant inequities in access depending on where a patient lives.
3. For some patients, this treatment can mean the difference between walking out of the hospital following a stroke or living with permanent and severe disability.
4. Improving stroke outcomes for all Australians requires a system that gets the right patients to the right treatment centre as quickly as possible.
5. The White Paper: Access to Mechanical Thrombectomy in Australia looks at the barriers preventing people from accessing treatment and proposes that a national strategy be developed to help overcome these barriers for all Australians.
The ANZSNR has endorsed the development of this White Paper.
We are pleased to announce that the White Paper has been launched and can be accessed at:
