Author: Dr. Oksana Zheshko
Volyn Regional Clinical Hospital, Ukraine visiting the Stroke Department, University Hospital Basel, Switzerland
Thanks to permit for this fellowship from Professor Mira Katan, during my stay I had the opportunity to participate in the morning ward rounds at the stroke unit under the guidance of dr. Tim Sinnecker who patiently translated the main points into English for me. His experience in making decisions in difficult clinical situations was very useful for me. For example, whether to give heparin for pulmonary embolism to a patient with a hemorrhagic stroke. The stroke unit in this clinic has 10 beds, which requires a quick additional examination of patients and a decision on further treatment and rehabilitation tactics and they really do it brilliantly.
Hospitals in Ukraine can still only dream about the possibilities of a laboratory such as the University Clinic in Basel. Screening for thrombophilia, systemic vasculitis and paraneoplastic syndromes for young stroke patients is routine practice here. Thanks to the exchange of experience with colleagues, I learned a new marker for me: midregional pro-atrial natriuretic peptide a high level of which in the blood may indicate a high risk of developing atrial fibrillation in the future, hence the need to prescribe NOAC for this patient immediately without waiting for the appearance of changes on the ECG.
I am also impressed by the 40-bed emergency department, each bed of which is accompanied by four infusion machines, a cardio-monitor and centralized oxygen.
I would like to thank dr. Joachim Fladt, dr. Magdalena Mroczek for the permission to participate in the work of the shock wards, and possibility of access to CT images. Working with you was friendly and professional at the same time.
Clinical research in University Hospital Basel deserve special attention. New ways of neuroprotection and faster recovery after stroke are still being investigated. Therefore, this fellowship reminded me once again that a stroke is not a verdict.
Thank you to the entire ESO team for supporting Ukraine throughout this difficult time! Thank you for the opportunity to develop and see new things in work and life!
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