“Time is brain.”
That’s what Marion General Hospital Administrator Alania Cedillo says about the importance of a fast response during a stroke.
And a new telemedicine system called Telestroke allows doctors at the Columbia facility to communicate with neurologists at Ochsner’s hospital in New Orleans when a patient exhibiting signs of a stroke is brought into the ER.
David Albritton, patient care manager for emergency services, said the latest addition is all part of an effort to treat stroke victims quickly.
“This gives our ER doctors the ability to talk to somebody in a timely fashion,” Albritton said. “We’ve used the Telestroke probably six or seven times. All of the physicians are Ochsner’s neurologists, and they’re very friendly and very helpful. We’ve had nothing but good success with starting this Telestroke program.”
The system is portable, allowing it to be wheeled anywhere in the hospital, and is easy to use, he said.
“They call and you literally hit an answer button like on your phone and they pop up on the screen and they take over the camera, talk to the patient and check them,” he said. “The camera is really high resolution and they can zoom in and look at the patient’s pupils. They are able to determine if there is any deviation or some type of stroke.”
Cedillo said it has been a great tool.
“The whole point of this is expanding the offering that Marion General has and having quick access to a neurologist,” she said. “Previously we were able to telephone a neurologist, but now the neurologist doesn’t have to just hear what someone else thinks, or know what is relayed, they are able to lay eyes on the family and the patient. That is huge. They can do a true physical assessment with the device.”
Marion General’s goal is to have an anti-stroke drug, if needed, delivered within 60 minutes of arriving at the ER. The next goal is to make sure the patient is sent to a primary stroke center, such as Forrest General in Hattiesburg, Ochsner’s in New Orleans or UMC or St. Dominic in Jackson.
Albritton said the staff at Marion General has had extensive training in the area of strokes, with all of the ER staff holding NIHSS Stroke Scale certification.
Marion General’s sister hospitals in Tylertown, Prentiss, Picayune and the main Forrest General campus in Hattiesburg have also adopted the system, and Cedillo said it’s probably not something Marion General could have afforded alone.
Marion General has used the device more than any other hospital in the group.
“We have a higher ER volume and are situated in a larger town, but it has spoken to me about how important it was that we have it,” Cedillo said. “Those who we’ve had to use it with have been very positive about it. They’ve been welcoming to the technology. No doubt it has saved lives. ... We’re tickled to death to have it and hope it is a beginning for telemedicine at our hospital.”
Pictured Above: David Albritton of Marion General Hospital shows off the new Telestroke device Monday. The camera on top allows neurologists in New Orleans to quickly assess patients in Columbia who might be having strokes. | Photo by Mark Rogers
