Comprehensive Stroke Care Programme

This programme provides

• State-of-the-art acute stroke therapy including intravenous and intraarterial thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy, surgical decompression for large infarcts, recruitment into newer thrombolytic and neuroprotective clinical trials in the acute stroke intensive care unit
• Stroke rehabilitation by early ambulation, manual physiotherapy, automated motomed therapy, Botulinum toxin injection for spasticity, functional electrical stimulation therapy, upper limb training through and computerized cognitive therapy
• Advanced neurorehabilitation techniques including neurostimulation with TMS and/or tDCS.
• Weekly exclusive Stroke clinic which provided evaluation of transient ischemic attacks and new strokes, primary and secondary prevention of TIAs and strokes and long-term palliative care and rehabilitation of chronic and severely handicapped stroke patients.
• Basic exposures including hands on training in Neurobiology including cell cultures, ELISA, PCR, Gel Electrophoresis, Spectrophotometry and Gel Documentation
• Formal Fellowship level Training in basic Research Methodologies
• Weekly seminars and Journal clubs in stroke to keep abreast of advances in stroke medicine
• Exposure and participation in ICMR Stroke Trial National Research Network

Comprehensive epilepsy care programme

The goal is to improve the overall care of people living with epilepsy. Currently these patients are seen at Friday epilepsy clinic where detailed evaluation is done. This is probably the OPD with highest attendance on single day all over JIPMER with OPD attendance at times reaching 1100/day. They are segregated into those requiring frequent monitoring, regular monitoring, probable candidates for epilepsy surgery etc. Selected candidates are admitted for pre-surgical work up in the video EEG monitoring unit. Department has 2 dedicated video EEG monitoring beds at present. Such patients are continuously monitored for days till we capture around 5-6 seizures. The data is analyzed in detail. The program is running with the ample support of Neurosurgeon, Radiologists, Nuclear medicine and Anesthetists. Till this year we have performed 28 epilepsy surgeries successfully.

In addition, OPDs are regularly attended by the MSW who gives health education to the new patients and help the patients to get various certificates

Patients were recruited from OPD for intradepartmental, collaborative and GJSTRAUS studies.

Neuromuscular clinic: This clinic has been started recently on every Wednesday and takes care of patients with neuromuscular disorders like myasthenia gravis, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculopathy (CIDP), Hereditary Motor and Sensory Neuropathy (HMSN) etc. 

Neuro Degenerative clinic:

This clinic is on Wednesday and Thursday and takes care of referred persons with chronic disabling and often progressive neurological disorders such as Multiple sclerosis (MS), Motor neuron disease (MND), Dementia, Parkinsonism, ataxias and Neurometabolic and neurogenetic diseases. Patients with MS and other chronic and rare neurodegenerative disorders needing high cost disease modifying therapies are helped through government supported schemes such as TNCMCHIS and RAN. The medical social worker counsels patients and care takers and arranges for disability certificates and directs needy patients to palliative care.  

General Neurology Clinics:

Department runs general neurology clinics on Wednesday and Thursday. With an average of 300-400 per/week, Neurology has one of the busiest OPDs of JIPMER with tertiary level care and offer of free drugs for all common conditions and attract patients in and around the Union Territory and from far and wide in Tamil Nadu and many parts of Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. This clinic too receives the support of a medical social worker.

Other Inpatient services:

Department has a 6-bedded acute neuro-intensive care unit with laptop based digital EEG, ENMG, TCD, Video EEG, 6 ventilators, a 16 bedded intermediary care ward and 4-special ward beds considerably augmenting its patient care services. High impact facilities such as plasma exchange, IV methyl prednisolone and IV Immunoglobulin therapy for acute neuro-immunological diseases; antibiotic, antifungal and antiviral therapy for CNS infections; Injection Rituximab for immune-mediated conditions like myasthenia gravis; tele-barrier nursing; IV tPA thrombolysis therapy and opportunities for participation in neuroprotective trials for acute ischemic strokes with prompt laboratory supports including neuroimaging, neurochemistry and neurophysiologic studies and access to internet in all wards makes   our service efficient, effective and highly affordable for poor patients.

Other equipment and Investigatory facilities:

Department has four Video EEG, one EEG, four ENMG and Evoked potential machines, three TCD, one Carotid color duplex scanner, one computerized cognitive battery, one functional electrical stimulator and one tilt table test with  autonomic function evaluation facility. In addition, we also have a transcranial magnetic stimulator and two transcranial direct current stimulator for advanced neurorehabilitation. We recently have acquired equipments like autoclave, Laminar air flow (biosafety cabinet), Nano Spectrophotometer and polysomnography machine.

These laboratories support a patient care, DM Neurology and Neurotechnology courses in collaboration with our biomedical engineering department, JIPMER and IITM, Chennai.