'Telestroke' technology expands access to emergency stroke care across Minnesota
Speed is critical for the successful treatment of a stroke. Every minute a person goes without care can affect their recovery and increase the risk of long-term health effects.
In 2015, we introduced “Telestroke” technology at M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center, allowing our stroke specialists immediate access to incoming stroke patients through emergency room video conferencing.
Since then, we have expanded that technology to all of our adult hospitals throughout the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota – increasing rapid access to expert care for people across the state. Telestroke technology is currently available at the following 10 locations:
- M Health Fairview Lakes Medical Center in Wyoming
- M Health Fairview Northland Medical Center in Princeton
- M Health Fairview Ridges Hospital in Burnsville
- M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina
- M Health Fairview St. John’s Hospital in Maplewood
- M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center – East Bank in Minneapolis
- M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center – West Bank in Minneapolis
- M Health Fairview Woodwinds Hospital in Woodbury
- Grand Itasca Clinic & Hospital in Grand Rapids
- Fairview Range Medical Center in Hibbing
What are the signs of a stroke? Learn how to quickly identify a stroke and seek treatment.
Telestroke technology consists of a sophisticated two-way audio and visual system. Doctors have the ability to manipulate the camera position remotely – which helps when examining patients and diagnosing stroke symptoms – and can review the results of brain-imaging tests conducted in the local emergency department.
The system allows a stroke specialist to immediately assess stroke patients arriving at the locations listed above and make rapid treatment decisions, even if the patient arrives in the middle of the night or the specialist is currently at another hospital or location. The system also allows stroke experts to direct emergency treatments, including surgeries to dissolve the blood clots causing the stroke and prevent devastating brain injury.
All acute stroke patients coming through our emergency department get a stroke code activation that includes consultation with the Telestroke team. Patients who require emergency stroke treatment are further evaluated via telemedicine. Nearly 5,000 stroke code consultations were activated throughout M Health Fairview in 2022.
“Large studies have shown that accelerating stroke treatment by as little as five minutes leads to significant improvement in recovery and survival for stroke patients,” said M Health Fairview Cerebrovascular Director, Christopher Streib, MD, MS. “Telestroke ensures that these decisions can be made as quickly as possible. Patients can receive the specialty stroke consultation they need locally in their own community. We also use Telestroke to ensure all our patients undergo a comprehensive stroke evaluation. This guides advanced stroke prevention, which can reduce the risk of another stroke by as much as 90%.”
