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FA L L 2012
A J OURNAL
DE VOT ED TO
HEALTHFUL L I V I NG
INSIDE
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Screenings to consider
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A 25% discount at Tanger
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Community classes
IT’S
amazing what digital technol-
ogy can do these days. In our every-
day lives, we can share our snapshots
immediately with friends or use a
webcam to both see and hear distant
relatives. In a similar way, technol-
ogy now in our Emergency Depart-
ment is helping us deliver timely
stroke care.
Telestroke uses a video confer-
ence system and a web connection
to link our Emergency Department
to the stroke specialists at e Ohio
State University’s Wexner Medical
Center whenever their expertise is
needed. Without being physically
at our hospital,
their specialists
can examine and
speak with stroke
patients here and
consult with our
physicians using
equipment that includes a webcam
and video screen. And the special-
ists are available 24 hours a day. is
is essential because time is crucial
when someone is having a stroke.
Most strokes happen when a
clot blocks blood ow to the brain,
Bringing stroke
specialists to you
robbing its cells of oxygen
they need. A clot-busting
drug called TPA (tissue
plasminogen activator) can
restore blood ow and help
prevent disability in people
who have these strokes. But
it must be given within three
hours of the onset of symp-
toms and only a er doctors
determine whether the patient
is a candidate for TPA. O en,
making that decision requires
consultation from a neurologist
who specializes in strokes.
at’s where telestroke comes in.
When a person
who may be
having a stroke
arrives at the
Emergency De-
partment, doc-
tors can activate
the secure system to connect with
a remote neurologist at Ohio State’s
Wexner Medical Center. e distant
stroke team member can see and hear
the patient and Emergency Depart-
ment doctor, and vice versa. e neu-
rologist can do a stroke exam, review
Fayette County Memorial Hospital uses telestroke
technology to o er advanced stroke care
brain scans, take a patient history and
work with the emergency physician.
e result is a swi determination as
to whether TPA or other treatments
are needed.
“By collaborating with other hos-
pitals, we come together to o er the
best system of care to stroke patients,”
says Eric Sauvageau, MD, Surgical Di-
rector of Ohio State’s Wexner Medical
Center’s Neurovascular Stroke Cen-
ter. “Cooperation among hospitals
allows stroke patients to be treated
beyond the regular time frame using
advanced tools to dissolve or remove
clots that cause stroke and reverse the
symptoms.”
Telestroke links our Emergency
Department to stroke specialists
at Ohio State’s Wexner
Medical Center.
Lauren Johnson, RN, and David Hill,
MD, work with a patient using the new
telestroke equipment.