Telestroke hastens life-saving care to West Virginia woman
When Josephine Pregley woke up on a Saturday morning, she knew something wasn’t right. The 60-year-old grandmother in Davis, West Virginia, realized she was experiencing stroke.
Rushed to nearby Garrett Regional Medical Center (GRMC) in Oakland, Maryland, she benefitted from the facility’s relationship with another hospital and its stroke specialist.
Pregley’s CT scans and medical information were sent to Matthew Smith, MD, the director of critical care at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia. An hour away from GRMC, Smith observed Pregley via videoconferencing and prescribed tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). The GRMC staff administered the drug and Pregley regained motion in her right side within 30 minutes.
The case is a perfect example of how telestroke care can leverage developments in communication technology to improve outcomes.
“Telestroke has really helped in getting expertise to the communities where people live,” said Smith. “The access to expertise has improved patients’ access to tPA.”
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Nicholas joined TriMed in 2016 as the managing editor of the Chicago office. After receiving his master’s from Roosevelt University, he worked in various writing/editing roles for magazines ranging in topic from billiards to metallurgy. Currently on Chicago’s north side, Nicholas keeps busy by running, reading and talking to his two cats.