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When Gemma O’Hara experienced severe neck pain, nausea, and dizziness in the middle of the night, she immediately sensed that something was seriously wrong. The 40-year-old from Ballymena, County Antrim, had suffered a brain stem stroke shortly after returning from holiday. Fortunately, Gemma was able to undergo a thrombectomy—a procedure that removes blood clots and restores blood flow to the brain. She described the treatment as a “miracle” that played a crucial role in her remarkable recovery.
Until recently, Northern Ireland’s regional thrombectomy service operated only during standard office hours, from 8 am to 5 pm. However, following a £5 million investment funded by Stormont’s Programme for Government Elective Care initiative, the service has been expanded to run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Gemma praised this development, emphasizing how vital rapid treatment was for her recovery. “You have to get treated so fast. You can’t let time go past when it’s to do with your brain,” she said. “If I didn’t get it in time I wouldn’t be the way I am now.”
Gemma’s stroke symptoms were not the typical signs; she experienced numbness and found herself unable to walk or speak, feeling as though she was “locked in” her own body. Upon arriving at Antrim Area Hospital, she was given clot-busting medication and then transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast to undergo the thrombectomy. After the procedure, she recalled, “Within minutes of having my procedure I was sitting up, back to myself again and waiting for my family to arrive.” She described the rapid turnaround and recovery as “amazing,” especially given how seriously ill she had been.
Dr Patricia Gordon, a stroke consultant at Belfast Health Trust, highlighted the importance of this expanded 24/7 service. She explained that approximately 10% of stroke patients have a large clot that can be cleared through thrombectomy—a technique that significantly improves outcomes, increasing the likelihood of a good recovery by over 50% and reducing the risk of death by nearly 20%. Dr Gordon emphasized that those strokes involving major artery blockages are among the most severe and, if untreated, can lead to death or substantial disability. The enhanced service aims to handle up to 300 procedures annually, doubling the previous capacity during limited hours, and relies on a coordinated regional stroke pathway supported by AI-enabled imaging to quickly identify patients who would benefit most
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