The relationship between COVID-19 and vascular events in Sherwood Forest NHS Foundation Trust and experiences on a global scale

12^th International Conference on Stroke, Neurology and Cerebrovascular Diseases

August 18-19, 2021 | Webinar

Dr Saajan Basi

Department of Stroke and Acute Medicine, Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Mansfi eld Road, Sutton-in- Ashfi eld, NG174JL, United Kingdom

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: JND

Abstract :

SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) is a new strain of coronavirus that is thought to have originated in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. In a matter of months, it has erupted from non-existence to perhaps the greatest challenge to healthcare in modern times. World Health Organisation (WHO) fi gures illustrate during a period of 16 months from December 2019 to April 2021, the number of global cases of COVID-19 passed 135 million, increasing exponentially. Previous literature has indicated infections, and infl uenza-like illness have been associated with an overall increase in the odds of stroke development. There appears to be a growing correlation between COVID-19 positive patients presenting to hospital with ischaemic stroke and thrombosis. Early retrospective data from Wuhan had indicated that up to 36% of COVID-19 patients developed neurological manifestations, including stroke. Research conducted at Sherwood Forest NHS Foundation Trust demonstrated over one-third of patients presenting with stroke in April 2020 were COVID-19 positive. As a proportion of the stroke patients who were tested for COVID-19, 33% of the COVID-19 positive patients died, whilst 14% of the COVID-19 negative patients died. This local data supports global retrospective data published from Wuhan and develops on the correlation between COVID-19 and in the development of acute stroke. Potential mechanisms behind stroke development in COVID-19 patients include a plethora of hypercoagulability secondary to critical illness and systemic infl ammation, the development of arrhythmia, alteration to the vascular endothelium resulting in atherosclerotic plaque displacement, the creation of antiphospholipid antibodies and dehydration.

Biography :

Dr Saajan Basi graduated from the University of Birmingham in July 2018. Following this he completed his medical foundation training at the University Hospital Derby and Sherwood Forest NHS Foundation Trust. Dr Basi has presented work at numerous national conferences within the United Kingdom, as both a medical student and physician. Most recently he has published work in the British Medical Journal regarding stroke in the setting of COVID-19 infection. Dr Basi is currently a Clinical Leadership and Innovation Fellow at Imperial College London alongside Medics Academy, where he is working on various projects surrounding medical leadership and clinical education.