John Salandi of St. Joseph’s/Candler Hospitals presented a program on the Remote Evaluation of Acute IsCHemic Stroke, or REACH, to members of the Sunrise Rotary Club.

This telemedicine program can deliver the same care to patients presenting for stoke care at a rural hospital as is received by patients presenting at a metro hospital. REACH will help a neurologist determine and screen the need to administer tPA (tissue plasminogen activator).

When tPA is given within three hours of the onset of stroke symptoms, there better the chance of having minimal or no disability three months after the stroke.

Using the mobile REACH cart, a neurologist will be able to evaluate a patient in their Effingham Hospital emergency room bed, review their CT scan online, download pertinent medical history and send back instructions on how to care for the patient.

In the U.S,. strokes affect more than 700,000 people each year and are the third-leading cause of death. Strokes also are the leading cause of long-term disability and result in costs of $50 billion a year.