Carroll Hospital Center www.carrollhospitalcenter.org physicians in Maryland now have 24/7 remote access to the University of Maryland Medical Center’s (UMMC) http://unms.org Brain Attack Team via a new telemedicine service for stroke patients.
The university’s “Comprehensive Stroke Center” http://umn.edu/programs/neurosciences/treatment-programs/maryland-comprehensive-stroke-center has been certified by the Joint Commission, an independent, not-for-profit organization. Fewer than 70 stroke centers in the U.S have received this designation.
The telestroke program builds upon the University of Maryland’s eCare program http://umn.edu/professionals/referring/md-rounds/achieves/fall-2013/new-ecare-program providing remote intensive care services via telemedicine to eleven hospitals in the state. The telestroke program enables Carroll Hospital physicians to consult with UMMC specialists via secure video cameras and share medical data, radiology images, and laboratory reports in real-time.
Typical treatments for strokes includes a clot-busting drug which can be administered intravenously up to 4.5 hours after an ischemic stroke occurs as well as catheter-guided arterial recanalization to clear blood vessels in the brain of oxygen depriving clots. Also, some patients may have contraindications or need advanced management which is available using telemedicine technologies.
Also, the university’s Tele-ICU program using eCare technology enables intensivists and critical care nurses based at UMMC to monitor patients in remote ICUs 24/7 from a central operations hub in Baltimore to help smaller hospitals in the state.