Telestroke in clinical practice

Abstract

Background and Purpose: To examine whether a telestroke system is an effective method of providing expert stroke care to patients in rural areas.
Methods: Videoconferencing and radiological imaging linked the stroke center of Asahikawa Medical University Hospital and the emergency room of Furano Hospital (a rural hospital without access to a stroke specialist). The stroke patients referred to Furano Hospital were diagnosed using the telestroke system and started on medication. The clinical courses and outcomes of the patients were reviewed.
Results: A stroke specialist at a university hospital obtained clinical information on stroke patients at Furano Hospital through the videoconferencing system and viewed brain MRI/MRA/CT images of the patients. As a result, the time from the onset to starting treatment for the stroke patients was shortened.
Conclusions: The telestroke system is a useful tool for rural stroke medicine.