Stroke-risk patients in Wales not getting life-saving surgery

PATIENTS who suffer a mini-stroke are routinely missing out on potentially life-saving surgery in Wales, a damning audit reveals. The UK-wide audit found only a fraction of patients who suffered a transient ischemic attack (TIA) in Wales underwent surgery to prevent them suffering a potentially fatal stroke. It is thought a lack of awareness about mini-strokes and their seriousness among the public and GPs could be responsible for the low numbers of high-risk patients being referred for surgery in Wales. It is estimated that one in four patients who suffer a TIA will go on to have a potentially life-threatening full-blown stroke. But urgent vascular surgery to widen the carotid arterycan drastically reduce that risk.