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.