Jakarta, IO – Strokes are a major cause of death in Indonesia. According to the 2018 Baseline Health Study, the prevalence of strokes in Indonesia was 10.9% of the population, or 2.1 million people, rising 7% from that of 2013 – and the number of cases tends to increase every year. The availability of stroke treatment facilities and services are crucial to ensure the life expectancy of patients, but they are so far unevenly distributed and difficult for some people to access.
A stroke occurs when the brain’s blood vessels are obstructed or broken. This will cause part of the brain to lose the necessary blood and oxygen supply that it needs to function, which in turn causes the relevant tissue to die off. Such breaking of cerebral blood vessels is extremely dangerous, and it is usually indicated by a severe headache.
Patients who suffer from such strokes caused by the obstruction or breaking of blood vessels are treated with thrombectomy, coiling, and clipping. “Thrombectomy” is the cutting or sucking out of the coagulated blood clots that obstruct blood vessels. “Coiling” is inserting a coil, wire, or thread into a blood pocket that is about to break out in order to drain the blood out, while “clipping” is done to a broken blood vessel to prevent it from rupturing again.