Dr. Jeffrey Boyle (left) and Dr. Harold Adams, University of Iowa Professor of Neurology and Director of UI Stroke Center, talk with Judy Ross of Clinton, acting as a patient at Mercy Medical Center in Clinton, during a demonstration of the new remote-presence stroke care robot from the Antonio R. Damasio Conference Room at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City to the hospital in Clinton on Tuesday, June 12, 2012. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)
Gerri Nichols was able to walk out of the hospital just one week after suffering a stroke.
The 69-year-old Clinton woman attributes her recovery to timely diagnosis and treatment, including use of a new stroke robot, the first of its kind in Iowa.
That robotic telehealth technology could someday help prevent disabilities and lower health care costs for the 3,000 Iowans who suffer strokes annually.
Every year, about 795,000 Americans suffer a stroke, the fourth-leading cause of death in the United States. Patients who survive can face paralysis and long-term care needs, with annual medical costs estimated at $73.7 billion nationwide.
Neurologists at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics examine and diagnose patients at Mercy Medical Center in Clinton by using the wireless robots sophisticated monitors, cameras and microphones.
We can see and assess the patient live and interact in real time, Dr. Harold Adams, director of the UI Stroke Center, said Tuesday, June 12, during a demonstration of the technology.
UI Hospitals neurologists had previously only been able to consult over the phone with doctors at other hospitals.
The robot can zoom in close enough to the patient so neurologists who specialize in stroke can evaluate the patients eye movement and other physical clues to make an accurate diagnosis in consultation with emergency doctors in Clinton.
Adams noted that time is critical in treating a stroke.
Visit link:
Iowa’s first ‘stroke robot’ connects patients in Clinton with doctors in Iowa City