Posted on: 3:00 pm, June 12, 2012, by John David, updated on: 04:05pm, June 12, 2012
Robots used to be the subject of science fiction novels and vintage movies. Now, real-life medicine is tapping into this technology to treat stroke patients. Its taking place between Mercy Medical Center in Clinton and University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
These are steps of gratitude for Gerri and Highland Nichols.
It felt good, she said.
The Clinton woman, 69, is back on her feet after suffering a stroke on May 20.
With this, its just amazing that I can walk and talk, she said.
A quick recovery, thanks in part to a robot. Inside the Mercy Medical Center Emergency Room, doctors from Clinton and the University of Iowa team up for a teleconference. Its just like the link that helped to treat Gerri.
It is the first robot in Iowa for telemedicine, said Dr. Harold Adams, director of the University of Iowa Stroke Center. Telemedicine is in many ways the future for medicine in rural areas similar to Iowa.
Iowa City doctors control a camera to see through the robot in Clinton. The stroke team runs tests and talks directly with patients.
I realized that the doctor in Iowa City was virtually right here in the Clinton E.R., said Highland Nichols, Gerris husband.
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Remarkable robot speeds stroke treatment in Clinton