Until 1996, there was no acute treatment available for stroke. That year, the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug, tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), for use in acute ischemic stroke patients, if given within 3 hours of symptom onset. This drug is a clot-busting agent now used in many stroke patients.
Even though t-PA was made available and proven effective, there were still problems in treating acute stroke patients: lack of organized infrastructure, difficult 24/7 coverage by neurologist willing to treat hyperacute stroke patients and ER physicians were reluctant to take on the burden of treating patients with t-PA, given an intracerebral hemorrhage rate of 6.4%.
The widespread use of t-PA has been extremely low. The most generous estimates of acute stroke treatment are between 2% to 5%, both in Colorado and across the United States.
In 2001, Colorado reported iv-t-PA treatment rates as low as 1.4%.
In 2005, members of Blue Sky Neurology, Swedish Medical Center and Colorado Neurological Institute made plans to deploy telemedicine cameras to the rural and frontier areas of Colorado to expand access to specialized stroke care.
In January 2006, Colorado Neurological Institute was awarded a grant from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to place telemedicine cameras in 6 rural hospitals.
Swedish Medical Center (SMC) provided support for neurology coverage for the CO-DOC system, a medical director to lead the project, 24/7 access to expert stroke care, and AirLife transport through the Swedish ONE-Call hotline.
While the grant cameras were being placed, two additional hospitals joined the telemedicine network, increasing the network to eight (8) cameras with Swedish Medical Center being the hub station as a JCAHO certified Primary Stroke Center.
Blue Sky Neurology provided the 24/7 acute stroke coverage for the grant sites. In March 2007, the Caring for Colorado Foundation provided a grant to hire a Project Manager, to expand sites and services, and to help make the project sustainable.
In a given year, t-PA is administered to more than 20% of patients presenting to our CO-DOC partner sites, greatly increasing their chances of a posibie outcome following an ischemic stroke.
The CO-DOC network now reaches communities across Colorado and the Western state region and increases the access of hundreds of thousands of people to expert stroke diagnosis and treatment.
The medical information presented on this website is meant for general educational purpose only. Individuals should consult their physician regarding specific medical concerns or treatment.
