Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review

Stroke telemedicine

Bart M Demaerschalk et al. Mayo Clin Proc. 2009.

Erratum in

  • Mayo Clin Proc. 2010 Apr;85(4):400

Abstract

Stroke telemedicine is a consultative modality that facilitates care of patients with acute stroke at underserviced hospitals by specialists at stroke centers. The design and implementation of a hub-and-spoke telestroke network are complex. This review describes the technology that makes stroke telemedicine possible, the members that should be included in a telestroke team, the hub-and-spoke characteristics of a telestroke network, and the format of a typical consultation. Common obstacles to the practice of telestroke medicine are explored, such as medicolegal, economic, and market issues. An example of a state-based telestroke network is thoroughly described, and established international telestroke networks are presented and compared. The opportunities for future advances in telestroke practice, research, and education are considered.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00623350.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIGURE 1.
FIGURE 1.
A spoke hospital emergency physician at a mock patient's bedside is assisting the hub hospital stroke neurologist with the examination.
FIGURE 2.
FIGURE 2.
A hub hospital stroke neurologist and research coordinator are conducting a 2-way audiovisual telestroke consultation with the spoke hospital.
FIGURE 3.
FIGURE 3.
The BF Technologies (San Diego, CA) Stroke Team Remote Evaluation Using a Digital Observation Camera used for the Stroke Telemedicine for Arizona Rural Residents study.
FIGURE 4.
FIGURE 4.
The Stroke Telemedicine for Arizona Rural Residents network map outlining hub and spoke (current and potential) hospitals.
FIGURE 5.
FIGURE 5.
Map of current North American and European telestroke networks. REACH = Remote Evaluation of Acute Ischemic Stroke; RUN-Stroke = Emergency Neurology Network-Stroke; STARR = Stroke Telemedicine for Arizona Rural Residents; STENO = Stroke Network of University of Erlangen; STRokE DOC = Stroke Team Remote Evaluation Using a Digital Observation Camera; TEMPiS = Telemedic Project for Integrative Stroke Care; TESS = Telemedicine in Stroke in Swabia.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

References

    1. Edwards LL. Using tPA for acute stroke in a rural setting. Neurology 2007;68(4):292-294 - PubMed
    1. Gross H, Hall C, Switzer JA, et al. Using tPA for acute stroke in a rural setting [letter]. Neurology 2007;68(22):1957-1958 - PubMed
    1. Levine SR, McConnochie KM. Telemedicine for acute stroke: when virtual is as good as reality [editorial]. Neurology 2007;69(9):819-820 - PubMed
    1. Waite K, Silver F, Jaigobin C, et al. Telestroke: a multi-site, emergency-based telemedicine service in Ontario. J Telemed Telecare 2006;12(3):141-145 - PubMed
    1. Adams HP, Jr, del Zoppo G, Alberts MJ, et al. Guidelines for the early management of adults with ischemic stroke: a guideline from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Stroke Council, Clinical Cardiology Council, Cardiovascular Radiology and Intervention Council, and the Atherosclerotic Peripheral Vascular Disease and Quality of Care Outcomes in Research Interdisciplinary Working Groups [published corrections appear in Stroke. 2007;38(6)e38 and 2007;38(9):e96] Stroke 2007May;38(5):1655-1711 Epub 2007 Apr 12 - PubMed

Publication types

Associated data