Stony Brook (N.Y.) Medicine launched a mobile stoke unit program, which incorporates telemedicine to allow emergency medical technicians to communicate with the health system's neurologists through video.
Each mobile stoke unit includes an in-ambulance care team of a critical care nurse, paramedic, EMT and CT scan technologist. The units are also equipped with a telemedicine system that enables Stony Brook Medicine physicians and neurologists to examine the patient through audio and visual conferencing.
The MSU ambulances also feature a CT scanner, which will allow physicians to immediately check for bleeding in the brain to determine whether the patient has a blocked or bleeding blood vessel.
"By diagnosing right at the scene via Telehealth, our neurologists can then give the approval to the first responders onboard to administer the appropriate time-sensitive stroke treatments while the person is en route to the nearest hospital with the appropriate level of care," Michael Guido, MD, director of Stony Brook Neurology Stroke Program and co-director of the Stony Brook Cerebrovascular and Comprehensive Stroke Center, said in a news release.