Lives at risk due to aged blood clot machine, says Irish Heart Foundation

The Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) has warned that lives will be put at risk unless the HSE takes steps to replace the machine used for the vast majority of thrombectomies, which removes blood clots from inside arteries and veins.

Members of the IHF and stroke survivors from its national support network held a protest outside Beaumont Hospital on World Stroke Day yesterday to highlight the issues with the machine, which helps to restore the blood supply to a stroke patient’s brain. Last year, 248 thrombectomies were carried out in Beaumont and another 31 were conducted in Cork University Hospital.

However, the IHF warned there was now “a real danger” that the biplane angiography unit which enables doctors to locate and retrieve stroke-causing clots will break down for an extended period of time, or even permanently, with the HSE having failed to fund the replacement of the machine, even though it has already broken down on several occasions.

The IHF also said the machine is so old that spare parts will not be made for it from the end of 2019.

The cost of replacing the biplane unit is €1.5m and a similar amount, along with additional staffing costs, would be required to provide the recommended second unit that would provide capacity to double the lifesaving impact of the current service.

Chris Macey, head of advocacy with the IHF, said that if the machine broke down, it could take up to 10 months to get a replacement — during which time approximately 200 people who might need it would have to go without its services.

Nobody has died yet, but this has been described to us as an accident waiting to happen,” said Mr Macey.

“We know this treatment saves lives, we know it gives stroke survivors who would otherwise sustain disabilities requiring lifelong institutional care a chance to recover from their stroke, and we know it is cost effective. What we don’t know is why the HSE has failed to fund this service and why they aren’t even required to explain why.”