By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – When a patient enters the emergency room at River Parishes Hospital in LaPlace with symptoms of a potential stroke, doctors and nurses will now have the immediate support of neurologists from Ochsner Medical Center, thanks to a sophisticated camera link up between the two facilities.

The technology, known as Telestroke, enables specialists at Ochsner to have bedside access to River Parishes Hospital patients, allowing the specialist to see, hear and interact with the patient while also reviewing a CAT scan of the patient’s head. The link helps ER staff to determine the next step for the patient.

“We have found that there are a limited number of experts in strokes and stroke symptoms,” said Ochsner Director of Telemedicine Liz Cothern. “Emergency room doctors like to have that neurological support so that they can quickly diagnose the early onset of a stroke. Time is a key factor in preventing brain damage.”

The camera and accompanying computer equipment use a secure virtual private network link to connect Ochsner specialists with the ER in much the same way as a teleconference or Skype session. Cothern said nothing is recorded, and the additional security of the VPN prevents hacking.

The emergency department staff goes through various visual tests with the patient, while the specialist on the other end determines whether the patient should remain at the hospital or get more specialized treatment at another facility. The specialist can also recommend a prescription, more tests or additional therapy.

“Patients recover better when they are closer to home,” Cothern said. “One of the goals of the program is to keep patients from having to leave the area if they don’t need to, but in the event that the patient does need additional treatment, the specialist will have already met and started treatment on the patient.”

Tammy Waltz, director of marketing for River Parishes Hospital, said all ER nurses and staff were trained on using the equipment. The staff also witnessed a trial run of the system Thursday with a volunteer patient acting out the symptoms of a stroke.

“It gives us immediate access to Ochsner vascular neurologists 24 hours a day,” Waltz said. “We are also working to help our residents become more aware of the symptoms so that they get the treatment they need quickly.”

Cothern said River Parishes Hospital is the 15th hospital in the state to partner with Ochsner through the Telestroke program. She said the program is part of the state Department of Health and Hospitals’ Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program.

“Louisiana is part of what is known as the stroke belt,” Cothern said. “Residents are twice as likely to suffer and die from a stroke. Hospitals see a high volume of stroke patients, and this technology gives those hospitals the help they need to properly diagnose a stroke patient.”