City’s first stroke unit aims to tackle big killer

A major medical unit has been opened in Cork City to tackle strokes which, despite being preventable, kill more people every year than lung, bowel, and breast cancer combined.

The acute stroke unit, the first of its kind in the city, was opened yesterday at the Mercy University Hospital and aims to ensure the highest standards of care for those with the condition.

While patients were already being treated at MUH and Cork University Hospital, the designated five-bed unit will provide co-ordinated high-quality multidisciplinary care including physiological monitoring, neurological monitoring, and rapid treatment of strokes.