Sutter’s California Pacific Medical Center Comprehensive Stroke Care Center is home to the Telestroke Program. This program connects CPMC’s stroke-care specialists with local doctors and community hospitals throughout Northern California. By video-teleconferencing, local doctors can consult with CPMC experts in real time and also share diagnostic images. The Telestroke Program also provides telephone consultations.
Many community hospitals don’t have 24-hour-access to interventional neuroradiologists or neurologists who specialize in stroke medicine. The Telestroke Program fills a critical gap, which is especially important for timely appropriate treatment of critically ill stroke patients.
Through the program, community hospital emergency departments have around-the-clock access to highly experienced board-certified stroke specialists and neurosurgeons. When a local doctor dials the stroke hotline, the doctor is connected to the on-call stroke neurologist within minutes.
The neurologist reviews the case and diagnostic images and, if needed, performs a video consultation with the local doctor and patient. The program can also provide consultations with the on-call interventional neuroradiologist or neurosurgeon to determine the best course of treatment. If the patient requires rapid advanced care not available locally, the program includes a high-priority transfer plan.
With stroke, you need to BE FAST. Time is critical for a stroke victim. Each minute, two million brains cells die. Learn the signs of stroke, and use Sutter’s BE FAST materials to spread awareness.
Judy Hall describes how the telestroke program at CPMC helped save her life, while delivering high-quality, personalized care.
