Laxman, a 49 year-old Nepalese who works in a Plastic Injection Molding Service company in Klang, Selangor was brought to Sri Kota Specialist Medical Centre (SKSMC) on 30th April 2024 by his employer because he complained of dizziness and headache at the workplace. The patient was attended by our Medical Officer and Consultant Neurologist, Dr Wong Sing Keat at the Emergency Department, and diagnosed with Posterior Circulation Stroke to Basilar Artery Occlusion.
A Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) & Computed Tomography (CT) brain scan was done and patient required admission due to stroke. The patient was also diagnosed with Obstructive Hydrocephalus which required for a surgery to be carried out. Dr Ravindran Vashu, Consultant Neurosurgeon and Dr Sham Kumar Sadanand, Consultant Anaesthesiologist immediately attended to him and a brain surgery was performed. The patient has tracheostomy (is a procedure to help air and oxygen reach the lungs by creating an opening into the trachea from outside the neck) and craniotomy (a surgical procedure in which a part of the skull is temporarily removed to decompress the brain and perform an intracranial procedure) done with External Ventricular drain (EVD) in situ. EVD is a temporary system that allows drainage of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) from the ventricles to an external closed system. Despite the treatment, his stroke progressed and he became comatose. His condition was generally very poor with very little chance of surviving. However, with good support from his employer and the SKSMC medical team, an emergency surgery, posterior fossa decompression was carried out to release pressure from Brainstem.
After the surgery, patient was under continuous and close monitoring at Critical Care Unit (CCU). When he was a slightly stable, physiotherapy commenced and was given so that he could start to perform normal, everyday tasks. The patient underwent treatment for nearly a month and was kept under close monitoring by the specialists at SKSMC. He made a very good improvement with the care at SKSMC. On 20th May 2024, he was transported back to his home country, for further treatment and family support to begin his rehabilitation journey. SKSMC with the support from the patient’s employer, have successful transported him back to Nepal on a commercial airline. “I have escorted my patient back to Nepal and handed him over to his medical team there to ensure that he is safe,” said Dr Ravindran Vashu, Consultant Neurosurgeon.
For more information about the services at SKSMC Stroke Centre, click here https://www.srikotamedical.com/centre-of-excellence/stroke-centre/
by Dr Ravindran Vashu, Consultant Neurosurgeon