Emergency Transfer of Acute Stroke Patients within the East Saxony Telemedicine Stroke Network: A Descriptive Analysis

BackgroundTelemedicine may facilitate the selection of stroke patients who require emergency transfer to a comprehensive stroke center to receive additional therapies other than intravenous tissue plasminogen activator.Aims and/or hypothesisWe sought to analyze frequency, patient characteristics, and specific therapies among emergently transferred patients within the telemedical Stroke East Saxony Network.MethodsWe reviewed consecutive patients who were transferred emergently from remote spoke sites to hub sites. Certified stroke neurologists performed teleconsultations 24/7, with access to high-speed videoconferencing and transfer of brain images. Emergent transfers were initiated when considered necessary by the stroke neurologist.ResultsIn 2009 and 2010, we conducted 1413 teleconsultations and subsequently recommended transfer in 339 (24%) patients [mean age 64 ± 14 years, 54% males, median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score 5 (interquartile range, IQR 12). The mean teleconsultation-to-ar...