Published: Monday, July 5, 2010
Stevens Hospital stroke patients get Seattle care in Edmonds via video
Stevens Hospital's video conferencing provides 24-hour access to a neurologist.
EDMONDS — Time is critical in treating stroke patients. It can mean the difference between temporary and permanent disability.
To speed diagnosis and treatment, Stevens Hospital is using technology similar to video conferencing used in business meetings. It links patients at the Edmonds hospital with stroke specialists at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle.
“The biggest difference is we have a stroke neurologist available 24 hours a day to provide that specialty to our patients anytime they walk through the door,” said Dr. Rich Campbell, Stevens' coordinator of the TeleStroke program. “Time is a critical element.”
Stevens' new program has helped diagnose and treat six patients since it was launched on April 15. By year's end, that number could grow to 60.
Stroke is the sixth leading cause of death in Snohomish County, killing 239 people in 2008, according to the Snohomish Health District. In 2008, 1,399 people were hospitalized for stroke symptoms.
Quick diagnosis of stroke patients is important because clot-busting drugs generally must be administered within three hours of the onset of symptoms.
And 85 percent of stroke patients have clots, making them candidates for the drug treatment, said Dr. Bill Likosky, medical director of the stroke program at Swedish's neuroscience institute.
Swedish launched the TeleStroke program at its campuses in Seattle and Issaquah in 2007.
Since then the service has been expanded to hospitals in Mount Vernon, Port Towsend, Chelan, Wenatachee and Yakima, making it the largest system of its kind in the Northwest, Likosky said.
Stevens joined the system in April, spending $24,000 on a secure, two-way teleconference system with a camera that allows close-ups and wider angle shots so Swedish physicians can carefully evaluate patients.
“It's a system that allows us to see the patient and for the patient to see us,” Likosky said. “It's a high-quality connection. We can see detail.”
The system also allows Swedish physicians to examine patient X-rays “just as the radiologist at Stevens would look at the X-ray,” he said.
Patients feel so comfortable being diagnosed through the teleconference system that some who are transferred to Swedish later tell Likosky: “I know you; I saw you on the screen.”
Forty-three patients with stroke symptoms were either admitted or transferred to another hospital from Stevens last year.
“We've streamlined our entire approach to stroke in order to gather all the information we need from the patient,” Campbell said. These include blood draws, scans of a patient's head and tests of how well the patient can function.
Stroke patients can have symptoms ranging from mildly to completely debilitating, he said. Most are able to respond to questions and interact with medical staff.
The system allows south Snohomish County patients to be cared for in a hospital close to home, unless there's a medical need to transfer them, Likosky said.
“This is an opportunity for us to have a patient get a real-time consultation with a stroke specialist,” Campbell said. “The feedback I've gotten is that people are very receptive, especially when they show up in the middle of the night with their symptoms.”
The stroke service is the latest program forged between Stevens and Swedish. Ties between the two organizations span nearly two decades.
Since 1991, Swedish has provided cancer care and heart and vascular services at Stevens through the Swedish Cancer Institute and Swedish Heart and Vascular Institute. Combined, Swedish now has 50 employees working at Stevens.
In addition, an agreement is now pending with the state Department of Health for Swedish to take over management of the Edmonds hospital. The state's decision is expected next month. If approved, the change could occur as soon as Sept. 1.
Although the stroke service is not part of that business agreement between the two organizations, “it's one of the things we're bringing to the table,” said Swedish spokesman Ed Boyle.
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486, salyer@heraldnet.com.
To speed diagnosis and treatment, Stevens Hospital is using technology similar to video conferencing used in business meetings. It links patients at the Edmonds hospital with stroke specialists at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle.
“The biggest difference is we have a stroke neurologist available 24 hours a day to provide that specialty to our patients anytime they walk through the door,” said Dr. Rich Campbell, Stevens' coordinator of the TeleStroke program. “Time is a critical element.”
Stevens' new program has helped diagnose and treat six patients since it was launched on April 15. By year's end, that number could grow to 60.
Stroke is the sixth leading cause of death in Snohomish County, killing 239 people in 2008, according to the Snohomish Health District. In 2008, 1,399 people were hospitalized for stroke symptoms.
Quick diagnosis of stroke patients is important because clot-busting drugs generally must be administered within three hours of the onset of symptoms.
And 85 percent of stroke patients have clots, making them candidates for the drug treatment, said Dr. Bill Likosky, medical director of the stroke program at Swedish's neuroscience institute.
Swedish launched the TeleStroke program at its campuses in Seattle and Issaquah in 2007.
Since then the service has been expanded to hospitals in Mount Vernon, Port Towsend, Chelan, Wenatachee and Yakima, making it the largest system of its kind in the Northwest, Likosky said.
Stevens joined the system in April, spending $24,000 on a secure, two-way teleconference system with a camera that allows close-ups and wider angle shots so Swedish physicians can carefully evaluate patients.
“It's a system that allows us to see the patient and for the patient to see us,” Likosky said. “It's a high-quality connection. We can see detail.”
The system also allows Swedish physicians to examine patient X-rays “just as the radiologist at Stevens would look at the X-ray,” he said.
Patients feel so comfortable being diagnosed through the teleconference system that some who are transferred to Swedish later tell Likosky: “I know you; I saw you on the screen.”
Forty-three patients with stroke symptoms were either admitted or transferred to another hospital from Stevens last year.
“We've streamlined our entire approach to stroke in order to gather all the information we need from the patient,” Campbell said. These include blood draws, scans of a patient's head and tests of how well the patient can function.
Stroke patients can have symptoms ranging from mildly to completely debilitating, he said. Most are able to respond to questions and interact with medical staff.
The system allows south Snohomish County patients to be cared for in a hospital close to home, unless there's a medical need to transfer them, Likosky said.
“This is an opportunity for us to have a patient get a real-time consultation with a stroke specialist,” Campbell said. “The feedback I've gotten is that people are very receptive, especially when they show up in the middle of the night with their symptoms.”
The stroke service is the latest program forged between Stevens and Swedish. Ties between the two organizations span nearly two decades.
Since 1991, Swedish has provided cancer care and heart and vascular services at Stevens through the Swedish Cancer Institute and Swedish Heart and Vascular Institute. Combined, Swedish now has 50 employees working at Stevens.
In addition, an agreement is now pending with the state Department of Health for Swedish to take over management of the Edmonds hospital. The state's decision is expected next month. If approved, the change could occur as soon as Sept. 1.
Although the stroke service is not part of that business agreement between the two organizations, “it's one of the things we're bringing to the table,” said Swedish spokesman Ed Boyle.
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486, salyer@heraldnet.com.
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