Jacksonville, FL — It could make the difference between walking out of the hospital and being bedridden.
Dr. David Freeman, one of the co-stroke directors at the Mayo Comprehensive Stroke Center, says doctors using this telemedicine initiative are able to essentially 'beam' into an ambulance.
"For the patient's standpoint, we're sort of at the foot of their bed. We beam in and start talking to them and measure what's called the NIH Stroke Scale," explains Freeman. That scale is how doctors gauge the severity of a stroke and identify best treatment options.
Depending on the results of the stroke scale assessment, the hospital can also mobilize teams to be ready to hit the ground running, when a patient arrives.
By using this technology, doctors are also able to reduce what's known as 'door-to-needle time', allowing patients to get the treatment they need about 7-and-a-half minutes faster.
Freeman says with a stroke, every single minute is crucial.
"Those minutes are crucial for a patient's recovery because one minute is equal to 1.9 million neurons. We're saving at least 15 million neurons, on average, by doing the examination in transit before the patient physically comes to the hospital."
Freeman says the faster blood flow can be restored, the better the outcome for the patient.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says more than 795,000 people in the US have a stroke every year, which Freeman describes that as similar to the population of Jacksonville.
Right now in Jacksonville, two transport units from Century Ambulance Service are equipped to provide these mobile assessments. Though, plans are in place to expand the program over the coming months.
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