Tuesday 20 March 2012

Telemedicine in Stroke Care and the Importance of Clot Busting Drugs

I went to a medical lecture last week where I met Dr. Jenkinson, a leading consultant in the NHS Stroke Improvement programme. He was responsible for the opening of the new stroke clinic in Christchurch where I live, and I attended the meeting for the public to explain the implications of the new service. The pioneering new clinic has introduced the usage of videoconferencing to examine patients and view brain scans to increase the use of clot busting drugs.
Clot busting drugs, also known as thrombolytics, dissolve blood clots in the body. After a stroke clot busters can be used to dissolve the thrombosis in the brain which is causing the ischemia. The rapid use of clot busters after a stroke can be vital in arresting the rapid death of brain cells caused by the condition, thus the introduction of what is being coined as ‘telemedicine’ – doctors on call over the internet! Dr Jenkinson suggested at Mobile and Wireless healthcare conference in Birmingham last year that’ telehealth technologies could provide strong benefit in treating other serious conditions. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/healthcare-network/2011/feb/16/informatics-hospitals-and-acute-care]
I’ve emailed Dr Jenkinson about potentially going to look around the stroke unit in Christchurch in the coming months so I will report back once I have visited!

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