My first contact with the Centennial Hospital of Gualeguaychú in Entre Rios province was on 8 de abril de 2021. Argentina was in the grip of the second wave of Covid-19, so my meeting with the coordinators of the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital, Dr Juan Pedro García and Dr Mariel Giménez, and the Head of Neurology, Dr Raul Euler, was conducted by telephone.
In a subequent meeting at the hospital, we developed a a virtual training agenda that would address topics such as prehospital and hospital stroke management, neurological assessment using the NIHSS, and clinical decision-making using the Body Interact tool.
The first face-to-face Angels event after the pandemic took place on 1 de diciembre de 2021, in the City of Buenos Aires. At this much-anticipated event, participants including Dr Juan Pedro García received intensive training on the integral management of the patient with stroke, including a pathway simulation.
Ahead of the meeting, Juan had prepared a stroke protocol for his institution, which he brought with him to get feedback from more experienced professionals. He made a formal presentation of the stroke protocol to all staff involved in the management of stroke and emergency services at his hospital on December 10. Nine days later, the Centennial Hospital of Gualeguaychú performed their first treatment successfully!
Since then, we have provided continous support to the training of professional staff, including from other cities in Entre Rios. Indeed, one patient was treated because a nurse from her village had attended one of the Angels trainings. When he recognized her symptoms he had her urgently referred to the hospital in Gualeguaychú.
Working with Juan has been very rewarding. He has very clear objectives, and is very generous and committed to keeping staff involved and motivated. He has the perseverance to transform reality by making possible what seemed impossible. For example, at the beginning the hospital did not have a CT scan, but an alternative protocol was developed to obtain a scan at another center and move the patient as soon as possible.
It’s not only the local population that has benefited. One of the first people they treated was a tourist traveling by motor home. When he began to feel ill his wife took him to the hospital not knowing that he would be given a second chance of life. Juan also shares the story of a French tourist who was on a bus bound for the Iguazu Falls. When passing through the Gualeguaychú area she began experiencing symptoms and was admitted to Centennial Hospital where they were able to attend her successfully.
The nice thing about working with Juan is that he transmits every achievement to me with great joy, making me feel part of it and giving me that strength and motivation that he seems to have in such abundance.
