Telemedicine provides faster treatment for stroke victims
December 2, 2009 Dublin, GA - When a stroke occurs, “time is brain”, and Fairview Park Hospital has teamed up with the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta to make every second count.
On December 2, 2009, the hospital begins their contract with REACH Call Inc., the leading provider of Web-based solutions for remote stroke diagnosis and evaluation. This secure service facilitates faster treatment for stroke patients in rural areas by enabling neurologists to remotely diagnose, evaluate and recommend treatment from anywhere in the world using a PC with a broadband web connection.
This form of telemedicine is designed to improve access to care, specifically for hospitals that serve rural areas. Previously, patients brought to Fairview Park Hospital and who may have suffered a stroke had to be transferred to another facility. Thanks to the agreement between Fairview Park and the Medical College of Georgia, most patients will be able to receive treatment locally in these critical cases.
“We’re enhancing the available technology so we can treat and keep our patients here, at home,” said Rob Ward, director of cardiopulmonary services at Fairview Park Hospital.
Upon arrival at Fairview, the patient is assessed by hospital personnel, a physician and a CT scan is performed. The information is then shared with a neurologist at the Medical College. With a live video feed, the MCG Neurologist interacts with the patient, FPH physicians and staff. If the patient has suffered an ischemic stroke - which is caused by a blood clot that travels through the blood stream to the brain and blocks a blood vessel - he or she could be treated with Activase or t-PA. This medicine is known as a clot buster and is given through an IV. About 80 percent of strokes are considered ischemic, which can be treated by the clot buster medication within 3-4 hours.
In the event of a stroke, time is crucial, said Ward. Look for the warning signs of a stroke:
- One side of the face droops.
- Speech is slurred.
- One arm drifts downward after both are raised.
“If you have these symptoms you need to get to the ER quickly,” Ward said.
The faster the diagnosis and treatment in the event of a stroke, the greater the chances that the patient will recover with little or no disability, he said.
If a complication does occur, the patient may be transferred to Augusta through the REACH agreement, said Ward, adding “they’re with us 24/7/365 for these types of patients.”
“I’m very excited about the opportunities and the benefits this will bring to the community,” he said. “The end result is better patient care.”
About REACH Call, Inc.
REACH Call is a full-service telemedicine application services provider dedicated to eliminating the geographical challenge associated with access to specialized care, bringing time-critical emergency care for diseases such as stroke close to home. REACH Call offers complete, secure and robust web-based tools for healthcare collaboration and provides data collection and reporting to support outcome optimization, clinical trials, and national registries. REACH Call was founded in March 2006 by Dr. David C. Hess and other leaders at the Medical College of Georgia. Its patent-pending technology is the industry's leading web-based telestroke/telemedicine solution. For more information on REACH Call visit www.REACHCALL.com.
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