Experts gather to discuss stroke-related issues

International experts gather next week to discuss stroke-related issues

May 4, 2015

Nearly 100 experts, engineers, physiologists, clinicians, medical academics and students from around the world will discuss the impact of new technology on helping recovering patients at an international stroke rehabilitation conference in Christchurch next week.

Keynote speakers from the United States, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand will talk about neuroscience and neural recovery, clinical research and commercialisation.

The May 10 to 12 conference is being hosted by the University of Canterbury Rose Centre for Stroke Recovery and Research at St George’s Medical Centre. The conference is the only one of its kind in New Zealand to target stroke rehabilitation specialists with a focus on applied biotechnology.

Strokes cost the New Zealand health bill about $450 million a year. The Rose Centre’s deputy director Dr Phoebe Macrae says there is increasing need for novel and innovative treatments, to reduce the burden of strokes, such as mortality, pneumonia and dehydration.

“Research has shown that Maori and Pasifika people in New Zealand have a much higher incidence of suffering a stroke than their European counterparts. This research also highlights that the average age of stroke is significantly younger in these populations, by an average of 10-15 years. Twenty five percent of people who recover from their first stroke will have another one within five years.

“At any point in time, there will be over 32,000 New Zealanders who have survived their initial stroke but are living with the disabilities arising from a stroke. These people require ongoing and intensive rehabilitation to improve their quality of life.

“Factors such as unhealthy diet, obesity, high blood pressure, smoking and lack of physical exercise will also result in a higher prevalence of stroke. Stroke is the second most common cause of death worldwide and a common cause of disability in adults in developed countries. The incidence of stroke in New Zealand is high compared to other developed countries with over 9000 new stroke events each year and over 2500 deaths attributable to this condition.

“At the university’s Rose Centre we are focusing on addressing all aspects of post-stroke rehabilitation. We want to develop and provide clinical services for stroke patients that meet patients’ clinical needs and also allow patients to contribute to research that will help others. We are looking to create bioengineering applications that will facilitate recovery by allowing patients greater access to intervention techniques.”

The centre’s director Associate Professor Maggie-Lee Huckabee, Dr Macrae, biomedical engineer Esther Guiu Hernandez, PhD students Kerstin Erfmann, Sarah Davies and Kristin Lamvik and alumni

Alex Lippitt are among the speakers at the conference.

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