Automotive Mobile Audio Video

Doctors at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore are the first in the nation to use sophisticated video and computer technology to assess a stroke patient in real time during an ambulance ride.

The system has been developed in partnership with TRW Inc. through a combination of joint funding and grants provided by The National Library of Medicine, part of National Institutes of Health.

"Every moment counts, now that we have a drug to dissolve clots causing the stroke," said Marian LaMonte, M.D., M.S.N., director of the Brain Attack Team at the University of Maryland Medical Center and assistant professor of Neurology and Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "If we can save time and get a head start in evaluating patients even before they arrive at the hospital, we may be able to prevent more death and disability. This is very important since the clot-busting drug tPA can only be given within three hours after stroke symptoms begin."

"Our success demonstrates the importance of intimate collaboration between physicians and engineers in systems development," said Yan Xiao, Ph.D., assistant professor of anesthesiology and human factors engineer at the University of Maryland School of Medicine who has been key to the project. "We as a team worked together to understand clinical tasks and information requirement."

"The time sensitive-nature of stroke treatment demands easy and rapid access to transmitted data. The system meets that demand by delivering images through a web interface so neurologists can view it practically anywhere," added Peter Hu, MS, a senior biomedical engineer and Director for Information Systems, Department of Anesthesiology at University of Maryland.

"TRW is thrilled to have leveraged our advanced technology, systems development, and integration expertise for such a socially significant program," said David Gagliano, TRW telemedicine program manager. "Over the course of the next year, the project team will be enhancing the system using next-generation Internet technologies and performing a rigorous clinical evaluation of the system. We look forward to opportunities for a wider regional deployment of this technology."

# posted by Medical Information : 4:31 AM