Friday, May 06, 2011
Hawkesbury & District General Hospital, One of 16 Hospitals in Ontario Offering Life-Saving Stroke Procedure
Hawkesbury, May 6, 2011 - Using state of the art technology and online access to specialized medical treatment in its efforts to provide clinical excellence closer to home, the Hawkesbury & District General Hospital is now one of only 16 hospitals in Ontario to offer the Telestroke program. With the support of the Regional Stroke Centre and the Ontario Telemedecine Network, Telestroke is a 24-hour emergency telemedicine application that allows for the assessment & treatment of patients experiencing acute ischemic stroke via a “consult” with a remote neurologist.
Telestroke uses live, two-way television and digital image transfer to « connect » local stroke patients and their emergency physicians with remote neurologists located at larger urban health care facilities to obtain urgent diagnosis and management advice. Telestroke neurologists can even recommend the administration of the clot-busting drug t-PA, a highly effective stroke treatment which, if used within the first three to four hours of the onset of a hyper acute stroke, may dramatically reduce its debilitating effects.
“Patients who are treated within one hour of their stroke have a better chance to full recovery,” explained Dr. George King, Chief Medical Officer for the HGH Emergency Department, “Telestroke permits us to contact a neurology specialist from anywhere in the province in just a few seconds, who can then assess & treat the patient and reduce the effects of the stroke.”
« Telestroke makes it possible for a neurologist to be at the patient’s bedside—even when that patient is hundreds of miles away—and assist the local physician with determining the most effective therapy possible » says Dr. Frank Silver, Medical Director, Toronto West Stroke Network and Medical Director, OTN Telestroke Program.
This program began in Ontario in 2002 and is part of a strategy with the Ontario Stroke Network and the Champlain Regional Stroke Network. To date, it has helped more than 1000 patients who have experienced a stroke and survived.
Information: Martin Lacelle
Coordonnateur des communications / Communications Coordinator
Hôpital Général de Hawkesbury & District General Hospital
(613) 632-1111, x182. mtlacelle@hgh.ca
www.hgh.ca
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