STRIKE OUT STROKE! Stroke Week 2018

Last August 20-27, 2018, the UP PGH Department of Neurosciences celebrated STRIKE OUT STROKE!, the department’s annual Stroke Week. The festivities commenced with the traditional ribbon cutting ceremony at the lobby of the Philippine General Hospital, graced by the presence of Dr. Epifania Collantes, newly minted World Stroke Organization committee member; Dr. Leonor Cabral-Lim, chair of the department; and Dr. Gerardo Legaspi, director of PGH; all of whom shared a few remarks about the event and the importance of propelling the campaign against stroke forward. The department also held the Stroke Lay Forum that same day at the OPD conference room, during which many of our stroke patients and watchers had the opportunity to participate in talks about stroke by our residents and consultants, boosting their knowledge of stroke in the process.

On the second day of the event, the Stroke Week Nursing Congress was held in the morning at the UP PGH Nurses’ Home. Featured here were the members of our department’s very own nursing staff, who shared their own expertise and experiences with regard to the latest advancements in nursing care for neurologic patients. Later that afternoon, the department also held a Thrombolysis Workshop both for PGH staff and members of health teams in different institutions. The highlights of this part of the event were lectures by our residents and stroke fellow on the guidelines for and nuances of thrombolytic therapy for hyperacute cerebral infarction, as well as a small-group thrombolysis simulation with our very own stroke consultants, in which decisions for thrombolysis were made based on a variety of cases presented.

The week-long stretch culminated on 24 August 2018, first at ERC 215 with a Professorial Lecture on Neurovascular Anatomy by Dr. Peter Paul Rivera, vascular neurosurgery consultant, who enlightened us on the intricate anatomy of the cerebrovascular system through the lenses of neuroembryology and cerebral angiography. That evening, in the spirit of promoting exercise and physical activity as a means for stroke prevention, members of the PGH community were treated to an intense, fun-filled, hour-long session of Body Combat, which helped shed a few calories as well as add more stroke-free time to our lives.

Despite the closing of the department’s Stroke Week, the fight against stroke continues. Armed with the new knowledge and inspiration gained during this year’s Stroke Week, we remain hopeful that together, we can STRIKE OUT STROKE!