Medtronic Partners with China Cerebrovascular Disease Specialist Alliance and Beijing Cerebrovascular Disease Industry Technology Innovation Strategic Alliance to Enhance Stroke Prevention and Treatment

SHANGHAI, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 15, 2021, Medtronic reached an agreement with the Chinese Cerebrovascular Disease Specialist Alliance and the Beijing Cerebrovascular Disease Industry Technology Innovation Strategic Alliance. The three parties will engage in long-term cooperation focusing on comprehensive stroke health management, prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, health promotion, and digital training, jointly contributing to the advancement of stroke prevention and control capabilities in China.

Medtronic Three-Year Cooperation Agreement Signing Ceremony

This collaboration will span three years, with all parties contributing their strategic resources to engage in diverse forms of cooperation in the following areas:

“Stroke”, also known as “apoplexy”, is a disease characterized by brain tissue damage resulting from the sudden rupture of cerebral blood vessels or vascular occlusion that prevents blood from reaching the brain. It is characterized by high rates of recurrence, disability, and mortality, as well as a substantial economic burden. With the accelerating aging of the population and changes in national lifestyles in recent years, the incidence of stroke in China has shown a continuous upward trend. The *Report on Stroke Prevention and Treatment in China 2019* indicates that the overall lifetime risk of stroke in China is 39.9%, ranking first globally. Approximately two out of every five individuals will develop a stroke, and at least one in every five deaths is attributable to stroke.

Secretary-General Zhang of the Beijing Cerebrovascular Disease Industry Technology Innovation Strategic Alliance stated: “Stroke has become a major disease affecting public health in China, imposing a heavy burden on families and society, and therefore warrants sufficient attention and priority. Although stroke is highly dangerous, it is by no means ‘unpredictable and unpreventable’! The fundamental reason why patients fail to receive timely treatment after onset is that high-risk groups lack awareness, neglect its severity, fail to take preventive measures, and are even unable to correctly recognize symptoms when an attack occurs suddenly. Comprehensive public health education on stroke prevention, symptom recognition, and medical consultation can enable more patients to receive optimal treatment in the shortest possible time, thereby effectively reducing disability and mortality rates.”。”

Currently, China has achieved preliminary success in stroke prevention and control, yet numerous challenges remain. In particular, there is still considerable room for improvement in the diagnostic and treatment capacity for stroke at primary healthcare institutions. "Cultivating specialized talent in the stroke field is crucial to advancing our national stroke prevention and control efforts. Through training in professional knowledge and clinical skills, we can enhance healthcare workers' understanding of the disease, thereby standardizing clinical practices and strengthening treatment capabilities. Through this collaboration, we hope to elevate the stroke management proficiency of primary care clinicians across China, ultimately saving more lives and effectively improving patient prognoses," said Professor Li Tianxiao, Vice Chairman of the China Cerebrovascular Disease Specialist Alliance.

Chinese Cerebral BloodSince its establishment, the Cerebrovascular Disease Specialty Alliance and the Beijing Cerebrovascular Disease Industry Technology Innovation Strategic Alliance have actively explored and established innovative cooperative service models tailored to China's cerebrovascular disease diagnosis and treatment system, with the aim of enhancing the international core competitiveness of cerebrovascular medical services and industrial technology chains, achieving omics-driven innovative R&D, complementary resource integration, and collaborative disciplinary advancement, and ultimately serving a broad population of patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

Medtronic, a co-signatory of the Memorandum of Understanding this year, is a globally leading medical technology company that has been committed to advancing stroke prevention and treatment in China for many years. While introducing advanced medical technologies and promoting local medical innovation, the company also conducts diverse academic activities and training programs at the grassroots level to enhance clinical stroke diagnosis and treatment capabilities. Mr. Gong Hao, Marketing Director of the Neurovascular Operations Department at Medtronic China, stated: “We look forward to bringing comprehensive and cutting-edge clinical stroke treatment concepts and procedural techniques to more grassroots clinicians as this collaboration deepens, further elevating stroke diagnosis and treatment standards at the grassroots level, and contributing to the realization of the strategic goals of the Healthy China 2030 initiative.”