Telestroke Service Increases Rates Of ‘Clot-Buster’ Treatment For Stroke

So what? It is the wrong metric to measure. tPA has a pathetic 12% efficacy rate. Quit congratulating yourselves over the wrong measurement. 100% recovery is the only measure needed.
http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1112964530/telestroke-service-increases-rates-of-clot-buster-treatment-for-stroke/
Remote Stroke Service Increases tPA Use at Community Hospitals
Dr. Stavropoula Tjoumakaris and colleagues of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital evaluated the effects of a telestroke network including 28 community hospitals in the Philadelphia area. In the network, stroke specialists used “remote presence” technology to consult on the care of stroke patients seen at hospitals that didn’t have a specialized stroke unit. The study evaluated the rate of appropriate treatment with tPA—an effective “clot-busting” drug that can be given only within the first few hours after initial stroke symptoms.
Over 18 months, the service provided nearly 1,650 remote stroke consultations; the average time from request to telemedicine response was just 12 minutes. About 14 percent of patients received tPA—including nearly all of those who could be treated in the appropriate time window. By comparison, national data suggest that only three to five percent of patients with ischemic stroke receive tPA.
About 80 percent of network hospitals increased their use of tPA for acute ischemic stroke. The percentage of patients transferred to a specialized stroke center decreased as well—possibly because patients began to improve at their original hospital. The researchers conclude, “The results support the implementation of telestroke networks for wider access to stroke expertise in underserved regions.”