Efficient processes that pave the way for the proper use of each investment to give the optimum medical outcomes has become the undisputed “must have”
The consequences of cardiovascular illnesses as a whole, including stroke patients, will take up more and more resources. In the western world 2 per cent of the population already suffer from some form of chronic heart condition.
There are now as many patients dying from heart attacks as patients who die from cancer. In the area of cardiovascular diseases we have also seen the development of different types of therapy. Rapid interventions in the acute phase, with early interventions such as “balloon inflation” PCI, have shown significantly improved medical outcomes and lives have been saved.
Another important patient group is that of stroke patients. In Sweden alone, with a population of 9 million people, 30 000 people suffer from a stroke every year. 6 000 die and 10 000 become dependent on some form of care. Altogether the treatment and care of stroke patients in Sweden costs 12 billion SEK per year. Problems associated with the treatment greatly resemble those for heart patients. As many as 80 per cent of stoke patient are struck by ischemic stroke, i.e. an infarction. Rapid diagnosis and rapid treatment are decisive for good medical outcomes. The majority of patients will be given drugs for clot unclogging, while the remaining 20 per cent have become ill through bleeding, meaning that incorrect therapy would have devastating results.