More than 70 Nizhny Novgorod residents who had a stroke were saved by thrombectomy at City Clinical Hospital No. 5.

      13 August 2025 07:00

      [283]

      Society

      More than 70 stroke patients were saved by doctors at City Clinical Hospital No. 5 in Nizhny Novgorod using the thrombectomy method, the regional Ministry of Health reported.

      According to the ministry, this technology began to be used at the institution about three years ago. It allows restoration of the patency of a vessel blocked by a clot, thereby preventing not only a fatal outcome but also disability.

      The ministry said that recently the hospital’s surgeons saved a woman who fell into a coma after a sudden loss of consciousness. Relatives called an ambulance, and the patient was diagnosed with a stroke at the hospital. It turned out that her basilar artery — one of the main vessels supplying the brain — was occluded. According to the doctors, removing the clot was the only chance for survival, since without surgery mortality in such cases reaches 90–100%.

      The chief physician of City Clinical Hospital No. 5, Nikolai Rodin, said that an urgently convened panel of doctors decided to carry out staged reperfusion therapy: first the patient was given a drug that dissolves the clot, and then its remnants were removed in a specialized operating room. Within an hour the woman regained consciousness and the neurological symptoms began to subside. The next day she was transferred from intensive care to the neurology department. By that time the patient’s speech and motor function had recovered. She has now been discharged and continues outpatient rehabilitation.

      Interventional radiologist Dmitry Volkov described the details of the operation. According to him, thrombectomy is a high-tech and minimally invasive procedure. Through a puncture in the femoral, brachial, or radial artery, doctors insert a guidewire and catheter, which are advanced under X‑ray control to the brain’s vessels. Using a special pump, the clot is removed, restoring blood flow.

      Head of the Department of Radiologic Surgical Methods of Diagnosis and Treatment Denis Petrov noted that the key condition for the effectiveness of the procedure is the timely arrival of the patient at the hospital. In his words, the operation must be performed within six hours from the onset of symptoms, and in some cases — up to 24 hours.

      Nikolai Rodin emphasized that performing thrombectomy requires the coordinated work of a multidisciplinary team. Neurologists, radiologists, surgeons, anesthesiologists-resuscitators, as well as nursing and junior medical staff, take part in the process. Postoperative monitoring, intensive therapy, and early rehabilitation, which begins already on the day after surgery, also play an important role.

      Doctors remind that stroke develops suddenly. Its signs may include weakness or numbness on one side of the body (face, arm, or leg), speech disturbance, difficulty understanding, as well as loss of coordination and facial asymmetry.

      "If you see such symptoms in someone, call an ambulance immediately. In such cases every minute counts. Doctors have only a few hours to provide assistance and prevent serious consequences," said Ilya Kondrashov, head of the intensive care unit for acute cerebrovascular disorders.

      The regional Ministry of Health reminded that stroke can be prevented by leading a healthy lifestyle and regularly undergoing preventive examinations and check-ups.

      Work on preventing cardiovascular disease and increasing life expectancy are among the objectives of the new national project "Long and Active Life," which started in Russia in 2025. It is a continuation of the national project "Healthcare" and covers all areas of medicine — from the modernization of primary care to patient rehabilitation. The project is being implemented by order of the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin.

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