Hundreds of Participants at Third Stroke Conference

The third stroke conference, organized by the Stroke Unit in the Neurology Department in collaboration with the Emergency Medicine Department, Cardiology Division and Nursing Administration, hosted over 200 professionals – from the fields of medicine, nursing, allied health care in the community, and Magen David Adom and United Hatzalah.

The conference opened with remarks from Medical Center Director, Prof. Mickey Dudkiewicz, and Stroke Unit Director, Dr. Sergio Shabtai, who emphasized the importance of time in stroke treatment and the importance of precise synchronization in the "chain of care" – from the moment of identification at home and evacuation, to arrival at the Emergency Department and rehabilitation.

Their message was reinforced by Daniel Ben Moyal, a patient who came to share his personal story after suffering a stroke several years ago and being treated with dedication at the Stroke Unit. In his remarks, he illustrated the dramatic impact of rapid treatment on his current quality of life.

Following directly from this, Mahmoud Abu Khalaf, a nurse practitioner and the hospital's stroke coordinator as well as one of the conference leaders, presented data on the success in dramatically reducing the time that elapses from the moment a patient arrives at the Emergency Department until a CT scan is performed (door-to-CT time), a metric that is critical for making treatment decisions.

Participants in the third conference on stroke at the Hillel Yaffe Medical Center. Photo: Shlomi Yosef

During the conference, moderated by Vered Cohen – Clinical Supervisor in the Nursing Administration and one of the conference organizers – lectures were also held on fascinating topics, including "stroke mimics" – medical conditions that simulate stroke and challenge the diagnostic team – and topics that reflected the multi-system complexity of stroke treatment: ranging from cerebral catheterization, through the connection between cardiac arrhythmias and stroke, to unique topics such as diagnosing and treating stroke during pregnancy.

At the end of the conference, a special lecture was held on performing an advanced neurological examination to train professional teams that work on Magen David Adom and United Hatzalah ambulances.

The conference concluded with an optimistic message about advanced treatment capabilities in Israel, emphasizing that timely diagnosis and rapid treatment are the key not only to saving lives, but also to preserving quality of life for patients.