Shanghai doctor granted key international role in stroke treatment

A Shanghai doctor has been named a co-chairperson of the pre-hospital medical committee of the World Stroke Organization.

The committee, a new branch of the organization, consists of seven leading medical experts on stroke prevention and control from home and abroad.

Dr Zhao Jing, from Fudan University's Minhang District Central Hospital, will share the role with Liu Renyu, from the University of Pennsylvania.

The two co-chairpersons will work with the seven experts to study key issues in pre-hospital service for stroke treatment.

The World Stroke Organization is the only international organization focused on stroke prevention, treatment and control.

Strokes account for one-fifth of deaths in China and are a leading artery disease with high incidence, high mortality, high disability rate and high relapse.

The first 4.5 hours after a stroke happens is the key time for effective rescue and recovery. When a person has a stroke, every second that goes by is crucial, as the brain tissue and neurons begin to fade away, experts said.

So Chinese experts have focused on pre-hospital intervention for strokes in recent years and have been promoting education to arouse public awareness on stroke identification.

"Many patients and families fail to identify strokes in time and miss the best opportunity for treatment," said Zhao, who has been involved in stroke education for many years.

She has worked with her team to develop short videos to promote public education and organize training for community doctors, residents and students.

Ti Gong