Improving Telestroke Treatment Times in an Expanding Network of Hospitals.

BACKGROUND: Like all medical innovations, telestroke must demonstrate successful outcomes to achieve sustained growth and acceptance. Asserting that telemedicine is faster, employs the latest technology, or promotes a better use of limited resources is laudable but insufficient. An analysis of stroke treatment within a telemedicine network in 2013 showed that tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) could be safely and reliably administered within a practice-based model of telestroke care. Since then, hospital volume and tPA administration within this network have tripled. We hypothesize that a practice-based model of telestroke can maintain positive outcomes in the face of rapid growth. METHODS: Data on tPA treatment times and outcomes after thrombolysis were gathered for 165 patients treated with alteplase between November 2012 and November 2014. Comparisons were made to a previous published study of 54 patients seen between October 2010 and October 2012 in the same network. Primary outcome measures were average door-to-needle (DTN) time for TPA administration and average call-to-needle (CTN) time. RESULTS: Significant reductions were observed in median DTN (93 versus 75 minutes, P < .01) and median CTN (56 versus 41 minutes, P < .01). Quality outcome measures such as post-tPA symptomatic hemorrhage (2 [4%] versus 9 [5%], P = .23), length of stay (4 versus 4 days, P = .45), mortality (8 [15%] versus 16 [10%]; P = .32), and percentage of stroke patients treated remained stable. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that a practice-based telemedicine system can produce meaningful improvement in markers of telestroke efficiency in the face of rapid growth of a telestroke network.

Expanding access to intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator treatment with a practice-based telestroke system.

Emergency stroke treatment would benefit from the increased use of thrombolysis via academic or practice-based telemedicine systems. However, a comparative analysis of these systems has not been undertaken. Data on stroke severity and outcomes after thrombolysis were gathered on patients treated by a practice-based system and compared to published data from academic systems. Patient demographics and outcome measures were not significantly different for patients treated by practice-based or academic providers with the exceptions of lower age and shorter duration of stay in the practice-based treatment group. This study shows that emergency stroke care provided by academic and practice-based telemedicine systems can achieve similar outcomes.

Tizanidine is effective in the treatment of myofascial pain syndrome.

Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is difficult to treat. The efficacy and safety of tizanidine, an alpha2-adrenergic agent with effects on spasticity and pain, in treating MPS was evaluated. Female subjects (n = 29) with MPS of 9 to > 52 weeks' duration and mean age 37.5 (range 20-51) years, who also had reduced pressure thresholds, were enrolled. Subjects were titrated up to 12 mg of tizanidine over 3 weeks and maintained for 2 weeks. Sleep was assessed via visual analog scale (VAS), pain intensity via short form McGill questionnaire including VAS, disability/level of function, and pressure threshold (tested by algometry) at baseline, weeks 3 and 5, and 1 week after tizanidine was discontinued. Patient and physician global assessments of treatment were reported at week 5. Twenty-four subjects completed the study. Pain intensity and disability decreased significantly from baseline at weeks 3 and 5 and after washout (P < .001). Pressure threshold and sleep improved for all study periods (P < .001). Tizanidine was rated as good to excellent in relieving pain by 89% of subjects and 79% of physicians. No serious adverse events occurred. Tizanidine was effective in the treatment of MPS.