The provincial government is expanding its EVT (endovascular thrombectomy) intervention program for stroke patients across the province who meet the appropriate criteria.
EVT, which requires a team of doctors and medical professionals, is a treatment for certain patients who suffer a stroke, but time is of the essence.
The treatment is now available to all eligible patients across the province.
Health Minister John Hogan says ambulance and flight teams will be ready to get patients to a specialized team to have blood clots in the brain treated in a timely manner.
He says that some big changes are required to the province’s road and air ambulance system.
“If you’re in a rural or remote area of the province, you should have that ability to get to where you need to go to get your health care. And what we’ve done is taken a recommendation of Health Accord NL to integrate road and air ambulance, so it’s one system” says Hogan. That means dispatchers know where every piece of equipment is, and who is available when a call comes in to 911.
Eighty-seven patients have gone through the procedure since it was implemented in St. John’s in June of 2022, improving patient outcomes and reducing disability.