MRFF funding for new stroke trial

The George Institute for Global Health has been awarded more than $900,000 from the Medical Research Futures Fund (MRFF) to conduct a new stroke study.

Associate Professor Anthony Delaney will lead the Australian arm of the trial for patients who have had a subarachnoid haemorrhage - a type of stroke, or bleed into the brain from an abnormal blood vessel - and who are at heightened risk of having a secondary stroke due in part to a narrowing of the arteries in the brain.

The five year SAHaRA trial will measure if keeping patients’ blood count higher will prevent these secondary strokes, and improve recovery in the long term.

Subarachnoid haemorrhage strokes affect about 2000 Australians every year, and the around one in every three people who have a subarachnoid haemorrhage will die as a result.

Associate Professor Delaney said: “This is a major public health problem with very high death rates. Patients who do survive are left with very poor outcomes. Six out of 10 have problems with memory, and three out of every four patients report language difficulties. We hope this trial will not only save lives but will improve the long term outlook of those who suffer these strokes. “These funds from the MRFF are very much welcomed and needed.”

Find more study details and records for 'SAHaRA: A Randomized Controlled Trial' on NIH Clinical Government website.