Telestroke

Advancing stroke care through teleneurology

Treatment

When it comes to stroke, every second counts. Now, stroke experts from Aurora BayCare Medical Center can examine patients at community hospitals many miles away, working together with local physicians to diagnose conditions and recommend care plans.

Many people live in communities without around-the-clock access to urgent neurological care. But now that can change, thanks to the latest advances in telemedicine technology. Hospitals that collaborate with the Aurora BayCare Telestroke Program receive 24/7 on-demand access to acute stroke expertise. Aurora Medical Center in Oshkosh, Aurora Medical Center in Manitowoc and Bay Area Medical Center in Marinette are currently collaborating with Aurora BayCare Medical Center's Telestroke Program to provide 24/7 bedside access to elite stroke specialists for their patients and stroke care team.

Telestroke Advantages

Through teleneurology, patients can have a consultation with an acute stroke specialist, no matter where they live. Our Telestroke Program offers many key benefits for patients:

  • 24/7/365 bedside access to highly specialized stroke experts
  • Evaluation and treatment recommendation by an elite team of experts
  • Treatment can start sooner
  • More eligible patients can receive tPA clot-busting drugs
  • Reduced severity of stroke-related disability
  • Reduced chance of having to transfer to another facility
  • Ongoing treatment by experts in your local hospital
  • Lower healthcare costs

The Telestroke Program makes urgent stroke care vastly more accessible to a greater number of people. With timely access to specialty neurological consults, many patients avoid the debilitating effects of strokes due to late diagnosis or delayed administration of clot-busting drugs.

Telestroke Technology

Our stroke experts use the latest technology to reliably and remotely connect to any participating location.  Each hospital partner will have a special dual camera that allows our neuro experts to conduct a pupillary exam, cognitive assessment, and a physical observation.

Using the pan-tilt-zoom camera and integrated microphone, patients and local providing physicians can engage in uninterrupted face-to-face interaction with an Aurora BayCare neurologist. Patients are never videotaped. This technology brings world-class stroke care to any emergency room, immediately.

Telestroke in Action

Here’s a sample scenario of the Telestroke Program in action:

You arrive at your local hospital’s emergency room, showing possible signs of an ischemic stroke. The local medical team mobilizes, orders brain images, and requests a telestroke consult.

When the telestroke consult is requested, you are asked to sign a consent form, allowing evaluation over the teleneurology system. Then, with assistance from providers in your local emergency room, an Aurora BayCare stroke expert conducts a neurological exam and reviews the brain imaging. Together, your local physicians and remote neurologist consult and decide on a plan of care.

Improving Patient Outcomes

Aurora BayCare’s neurologists will assist partnering hospitals on an as-needed basis. Stroke specialists can be virtually present at a moment’s notice, shortening the critical treatment time period and improving patient care.

In 2013, the American Heart Association recommended the use of telemedicine within stroke care protocols. The Telestroke Program is designed to extend stroke specialty care and increase tPA utilization in eligible patients, reaching areas of the country where these services are not consistently available.