Assoc. Prof. Dr. Neli Petrova graduated from “Baba Tonka” High School in Ruse and the Higher Medical Institute in Varna. Since 1988, she has been working at the Ruse regional hospital, and since 1992, she has been a neurologist in the specialized neurological department for cerebral strokes. In 1994, she obtained a specialization in neurology. She holds professional qualifications in clinical neuropsychology and electroencephalography. In 2014, she defended her doctoral dissertation at Sofia Medical University on the topic “Markers for Early Diagnosis of Dementia in Patients after Ischemic Stroke” under the scientific guidance of Acad. Lachezar Traikov. She has served as the head of the Second Neurological Department, the Functional Diagnosis Department of the Nervous System, which houses the Clinical Neuropsychology Center, and as the executive director of the hospital. Assoc. Prof. Petrova is the head of the “General and Vascular Neurology” department at UMHAT “Kaneff” and a regular associate professor at the University of Ruse “Angel Kanchev.” She participated in the development and signing of the “National Consensus for Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Forms of Dementia.” She is a member of the expert council of the Ministry of Health for the development of “Strategic Guidelines for Diagnosis, Prevention, Treatment, and Care for People with Dementia in Bulgaria.”
Assoc. Prof. Petrova, please introduce the Department of General and Vascular Neurology.
The Department of General and Vascular Neurology provides medical services in the field of neurological diseases at level III of competence, according to the permission for medical activities granted to UMHAT “Kaneff” AD. It is the only department with a specialized structure for the treatment of cerebrovascular diseases in Northeast Bulgaria. In this way, the hospital meets modern world standards for the treatment of stroke patients in specialized stroke units. The organization of work in the department is based on the principles of urgency, reliability, accessibility, and equality.
The Department of General and Vascular Neurology consists of two distinct units: General Neurology with 15 beds and Vascular Neurology with 20 beds. The medical team consists of 8 doctors, 16 nurses, 1 physiotherapist, and 1 rehabilitation therapist. This structure follows the recommendations of the European Stroke Advisory Council, which states that “all stroke patients should have access to a multidisciplinary team specialized in their early rehabilitation.” The qualification level of the doctors is very high – 6 of them have recognized clinical specialization in neurology and additional qualifications in the following areas: intensive care and resuscitation; functional diagnostics; healthcare management. Doctors from the department participate as lecturers and moderators at scientific forums in neurology and intensive medicine at various local, regional, national, and international symposia.
What is the incidence of stroke in Bulgaria?
Bulgaria ranks among the highest countries in the world in terms of morbidity, incidence, and mortality from cerebral strokes. Around 50,000 people in the country suffer strokes annually. The Department of General and Vascular Neurology treats 750-800 stroke patients per year, with a relatively high percentage of patients being admitted in severe condition.