M Health Fairview debuts ‘Telestroke’ technology to speed response time for stroke care
When it comes to treating a stroke, every second counts.
That’s why we’re implementing leading-edge “Telestroke” technology at M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center. The system provides instantaneous communication between the two emergency departments on the medical center campus and M Health Fairview neurologists who specialize in stroke treatment. This will further decrease response times for stroke care, improving the outcomes for our patients.
A stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is disrupted—either because of an obstruction in the brain’s blood vessels that reduces blood flow, or because bleeding into the brain itself due to a ruptured blood vessel.
Without proper blood flow, brain cells quickly begin to die. The longer it takes for treatment to begin, the greater a patient’s risk of permanent disability or death.
What are the signs of a stroke? Learn how to quickly identify a stroke and seek treatment.
Last summer, M Health Fairview introduced a sophisticated, two-way audio and video system. Doctors have the ability to manipulate the camera position remotely—which helps when diagnosing stroke symptoms—and can review the results of brain-imaging tests conducted in the emergency department.
Stroke victims brought to either of the university’s emergency departments can now be immediately connected with a stroke or neurocritical care specialist, who can quickly determine what sort of drugs (or in some cases, which endovascular or surgical procedure) will be most effective, even if they are across campus at the time.
