By Charlene Macaulay
Suspected stroke patients attending Werribee Mercy Hospital will be assessed remotely thanks to technology that is expected to speed up treatment times.
The telemedicine technology will pair Werribee Mercy patients and off-site neurologists through viedo calls, allowing neurologists to review a patient CT brain scan and, if needed, order the use of a thrombolysis drug to dissolve the clot on a patient’s brain.
Patients using the stroke telemedicine technology receive the clot-busting drugs an average of 40 minutes faster than under traditional assessments and often within an hour of arriving at hospital, according to the state government.
It’s the first time the technology has been used in a metropolitan hospital, with 16 telemedicine facilities already operating in hospitals across rural and regional Victoria.
State Health Minister Jill Hennessy said more than 3000 suspected stroke patients being treated in rural and regional hospitals had received a stroke consultation through the telemedicine technology.
“Families in Melbourne’s west can have confidence that – with this world-leading technology – if the worst should happen and their loved one has a stroke, they will get the life-saving care they need sooner,” she said.
“When someone has a stroke, every second counts – and time saved equals brain saved.
“This cutting-edge technology means local patients will get the urgent assessment and treatment they need faster.”
