Overview
- The CHU de Bordeaux’s neurovascular unit manages about 2,000 patients a year with dedicated imaging and intervention, including 16 intensive and 32 post‑intensive beds.
- Regional organization sends thrombectomy cases from Gironde, Lot‑et‑Garonne and Dordogne to Bordeaux, with Bayonne and Pau handling patients from the Landes and Pyrénées‑Atlantiques.
- A telemedicine platform launched in 2014 links peripheral hospitals to CHU neurologists, enabling remote evaluation and thrombolysis prescriptions in smaller facilities.
- Emergency guidance urges calling 15 for the fastest specialist care, with thrombolysis most effective within 4.5 hours and thrombectomy within roughly 6 hours as millions of neurons are lost each minute.
- Persistent gaps include only about half of stroke patients being treated in neurovascular units, lower awareness in rural villages where about 40% are poorly informed, and rehabilitation shortages flagged by the Cour des comptes.