Treatment for remote stroke patients facilitated by HD video conferencing

The telemedicine project will allow doctors to assess stroke victims in hospitals remotely, to decide if they need a treatment known as thrombolysis. The project will include the delivery of an IP VPN. It will connect doctors with core infrastructure supporting high definition (HD) video and audio. The VPN will include a hosted VC gatekeeper, directory service, HD multi-conference bridge and recording appliances. A portable video conferencing tool called a telecart will be positioned at the patient\’s bedside in A&E or the stroke unit.

Paul Davis, Consultant Stroke physician at North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: \”Thrombolysis treatment can only be given to patients within 4.5 hours of the onset of their stroke so time is core to this treatment and telestroke will help improve the speed of patient diagnosis. We are using technology to take the stroke specialists to the patient, rather than moving the patient long distances, around rural areas, to where the specialists work. In an acute stroke, time is of the essence and the sooner treatment can be provided, the better.\”

Virgin Media Business works with infrastructure and security specialist Imerja to develop the bespoke service. Shuja Punekar, consultant physician of cerebro-vascular medicine, said the video conferencing technology has the potential to save the NHS millions per year in reducing the number of stroke victims requiring specialist care. The average saving per patient who undergo this treatment will be up to £50,000 per year, said Punekar. \”Our hospital provides thrombolysis treatment to around 8-10% of patients during nine to five hours, using video conferencing for out of hours treatment we expect this to increase to around 15%”. The network could be used to assess patients in further areas of treatment and advise non-specialist doctors in other fields.

Commonwealth Contractors

At
Commonwealth Contractors we partner with OISC Registered Private
Immigration Firms and Tier 2 Licensed Healthcare and IT Consultancies
who may be prepared, where required, to sponsor an individual on a Tier 2
Visa (formerly UK Work Permit). If you are a highly skilled
International professional and you would like to work in the UK
Commonwealth Contractors can help. Our OISC Registered Partners
specialise in Tier 1 General (formerly Highly Skilled Migrant Programme)
visa applications and can assist those highly skilled individuals that
either wish to apply or extend a Tier 1 General Visa.

For more
Information call Commonwealth Contractors now on 0330 390 9021 or Submit
your Details and we will get right back to you. Please see other areas
of the Commonwealth Contractors site for interesting articles on tax,
immigration and contracting.