Stroke

Faster acute stroke care with
remote treatment

Remote CT scanning and a new collaboration between the hospital and municipal staff will provide faster stroke treatment for patients in the Mid-Troms region in Northern Norway. 

University Hospital of North Norway brings acute stroke care closer to the patient in the
Mid-Troms district 

The outcome of the innovative project can have great significance for the future treatment of acute stroke in Norway and abroad.

Fjernstyrt skanning

In regions with long distances to hospitals and many assignments for the air ambulance, it is challenging to get patients with stroke in time for treatment within 4.5 hours. Fast transport by air is not always possible. In bad weather conditions and many simultanious assignments, the patient must be transported by car, a journey that can take between two and four hours, all depending on the weather and the distance.

Stroke treatment in Northern Norway

In case of suspected stroke, all patients in Mid-Troms have so far been transported to the University Hospital of North Norway in Tromsø for further examination and treatment. Statistics show that almost half of the patients arrive too late at the hospital to receive anticoagulant treatment effectively. 

<p>Linn Hoffsøy Steffensen</p>

First District Medical Center in Norway with a CT 

Finnsnes

Finnsnes District Medical Center (DMS) is located in Senja municipality in the middle of Troms county, about 160 kilometers from Tromsø in the Northern Norway. It was the first district medical center with a CT machine in Norway when the installation took place in 2014. The CT is now utilized even more for life-saving stroke treatment in the region.

Finnsnes Distriktsmedisinske senter

A new local telemedicine acute care for stroke has now been establish at Finnsnes. The new health service is a remote collaboration between emergency care and ambulance personnel at Finnsnes, and a neurologist, radiographer and radiologist in Tromsø. When the strike alarm goes off, the ambulance team decides in cooperation with the Medical Alarm Service, neurologist and emergency doctor what the fastest option is: Helicopter to the hospital in Tromsø or ambulance to the CT-lab at Finnsnes. 

In Norway, more than 10.000 patients are affected by stroke each year. The acute failure of blood and oxygen supply to an area of ​​the brain is most often caused by a blood clot in a vein in the brain. The time before the blood supply is restored is decisive for the size of the damage, and affects both survival and future level of function, like talking or walking. Early treatment increases the chance of survival with good results after stroke.

What is thrombolysis?

What will the prehospital project contribute to?