D2D Visit Report – Dr Alan Cameron

I am extremely grateful to the European Stroke Organisation and the Stroke / Neurology team at University Hospital Basel, especially Prof Mira Katan and Prof Urs Fischer, for the opportunity to visit their department in April 2023. The visit was instrumental in developing our strong research collaborations and advancing my clinical skills and experience in all aspects of the stroke care pathway.

I worked with Prof Katan on developing our research collaborations with a focus on studies that aim to improve approaches to detection of atrial fibrillation (AF) after stroke using natriuretic peptides to help guide cardiac rhythm monitoring strategies. We developed a talk that I delivered as an oral presentation at ESOC 2023 and a manuscript that has been submitted to an international peer-reviewed journal. We also planned our ongoing and future research studies / collaborations that we are confident will 1) help to improve care and management for people affected by stroke and AF; and 2) result in further studies that improve our understanding of the best approaches to investigation and management of cardio-embolic stroke with high-impact research outputs.

I worked daily alongside the clinical teams to observe patient management through the entire stroke pathway, from hyperacute presentation to stroke unit care and transfer to specialist stroke rehabilitation units. This allowed me to experience outstanding stroke care pathways and approaches to management that I can apply in my local stroke service and clinical practice. For example, I observed rapid communication of key information from paramedics before a patient with possible stroke arriving in the emergency department; focused combined assessment from stroke and emergency medicine teams; and prompt neuroimaging with joint review of scans between the stroke team, diagnostic radiology and interventional neuroradiology to facilitate expedited hyperacute management, including thrombectomy and intravenous thrombolysis. I also observed a strong focus on diagnostic evaluation to determine stroke aetiology and guide evidence based approaches to secondary prevention, such as using a variety of new pharmacological approaches to help achieve lipid targets. I will apply these skills and experiences in my local clinical practice and I have already shared my experiences with stroke healthcare professionals from across Scotland as part of an online national meeting.

The experience has been truly instrumental in developing strong research collaborations and advancing my clinical skills, both of which will help me to improve care and outcomes for people affected by stroke. I am extremely grateful to Prof Katan, Prof Fischer and the ESO for the opportunity.