Posted at: 04/27/2010 7:01 PM
Updated at: 04/27/2010 9:35 PM
By: Melanie Bloom
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Email to a FriendMedical Edge: Telemedicine Robots
(ABC 6 NEWS) -- Imagine that suddenly your left arm feels numb. It could be a stroke, so you need to get to the hospital fast. But what if your hospital doesn't have a stroke specialist or that doctor is out of town?
Doctors at Mayo Clinic are using something called a telemedicine robot that allows them to be face to face with patients who are miles away. It is one of Mayo Clinic's telemedicine robots.
These technologies give patients and doctors access to experts, even though they're miles apart.
Dr. Bart Demaerschalk says, "It allows the stroke neurologist to be anywhere."
And that's critical for stroke patients. Most strokes are caused by clots that block blood flow in your brain. Once symptoms start you should call 911 immediately. You have fewer than 4 and ½ hours to get treatment. After that, clot-busting drugs don't work.
The later you seek treatment, the fewer options that are available. The robot can bring doctors to the patient saving precious time and allowing for a fast diagnosis.
Dwight Channer is the Telemedicine Program Director at Mayo Clinic. He says, "It's a tool that allows physicians to see more patients from remote distances."
On top of seeing patients, the robot also lets Dr. Demaerschalk consult with other doctors in places like a rural hospital or a different country.
"That surgeon, hundreds and hundreds of miles away, can interact with us, we can have multiple consultants viewing the patient, interacting with the patient via the robot," says Dr. Demaerschalk.
Bringing better care to patients.
Doctors are working on other ways to use telecommunications to improve patient care. That includes using smart phones and e-consultations.
