Dr. Carlos Molina, head of the Stroke Research Group, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), and head of the Neurology Section- Stroke Unit Vall d'Hebron, received today the "Esperit de l'Excel.lència" Award , which is given by the Angels Initiative in Spain, a European non-promotional and non-profit project, created by Boehringer Ingelheim and supported by the European Stroke Organization and the World Stroke Organization. Its purpose is to improve the quality and management of the patient with stroke. This award was given at the ESO-WSO-2020 Congress, which is convened every year by the European Stroke Organization and the World Stroke Organization. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this edition, which should have taken place in Prague last November, was held virtually and the organizers were unable to deliver the award in person to Dr. Molina. Every six seconds a person dies from a strokeFor a decade, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital has treated about 1,400 strokes each year. Until the arrival of COVID-19, it was the second leading cause of death in the world. 6 million people die each year from stroke and it is the leading cause of disability in adults. To treat patients and streamline care, in 2016, Dr. Molina created the Stroke Unit, a pioneer in the state. This award recognizes excellence in Vall d'Hebron stroke care. It also values dealing with patients and creating a team that improves the quality of treatments.The award highlights the energy, ability to innovate and motivation of Dr. Molina in improving the care of the patient with stroke. He also acknowledges how his team has treated stroke during the COVID-19 pandemic. "In the first wave we learned to be more efficient in the continuous improvement of care. And in the second and third wave, we continue to be proactive and collaborate with Primary Care to provide better care to patients. We have accelerated the deployment of digital solutions, such as Farmalarm, which bring us closer to citizens and improve their care, always taking into account their needs and expectations", explains Dr. Carlos Molina.The coronavirus crisis led the healthcare system to think of solutions to meet the new challenges of the pandemic. And to monitor coronavirus-infected patients who are discharged and still require control, Vall d'Hebron Hospital adapted Farmalarm, a tool developed at the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) in 2015 with the participation of patients from the Stroke Unit. With this tool, medical staff can have the patient monitored at all times. The patients are provided with a pulse oximeter that allows them to measure key data to assess your progress, vital signs or respiratory rate, for example, which is introduced into the application on a daily basis. Research to move forwardAn example of his ability to innovate are the results of a study published in the https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1052305720306431 Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases, which professionals in the Stroke Unit developed during the first wave to find out the relationship between patients with COVID-19 and thrombosis. In the first months of the pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 infection was seen to be associated, in many patients, with the onset of thrombosis, especially pulmonary thromboembolisms that can lead to serious complications and even death. To specifically understand the risk of COVID-19 for the onset of ischemic stroke, which is caused by brain thrombi, Dr. Molina followed up 2,050 patients who were admitted to Vall d'Hebron University Hospital during the months of March and April. The results showed that people with COVID-19 and severe lung damage have a higher risk of stroke. This does not happen in patients with COVID-19 without severe lung damage, who have the same risk of stroke as the rest of the population. Apart from COVID-19, one of the great milestones of the Stroke Unit has been to improve attendance times, thanks to the creation of an intercommunication network and fast treatment. Dr. Molina comments that "now, we have room for improvement in the follow-up of patients". When a patient suffers from an acute ischemic stroke or a transient ischemic accident, he/she has a 15% risk of having another stroke in the first few weeks. One of the research lines of Dr. Molina wants to prevent new episodes from occurring. A study, co-coordinated and led by the Vall d'Hebron Stroke Unit, has recently shown that the combined use of aspirin with the drug ticagrelor is able to reduce both a new stroke and disability resulting from this in the first 30 days compared to aspirin alone, the usual treatment. At the award ceremony, Belén Velázquez, a consultant for the Angels Initiative in Spain, acknowledged the ability of Dr. Molina and his team to promote learning and empower nursing professionals, who play a key role in the treatment of stroke. A prize for allIn conclusion, the healthcare director of Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Dr. Antoni Roman, has recognized "the excellent work and commitment of Dr. Molina". And he recalled his beginnings at Vall d'Hebron University Hospital. "I remember how I was impacted by the visit to stroke patients in one of the first rounds I did", he said. "But this has been going on for 40 years and neurology has made giant strides since then, however I still encourage young healthcare professionals to keep innovating", he added.