A TechNation reader in Colorado recently shared photos of the UCHealth Mobile Stroke Treatment Unit.
“This is a $1 million+ ambulance! They have to reinforce the frame to hold all the weight of the CT and have an onboard generator to run it,” he wrote in his email. “ Also has a UPS backup that allows to run one scan if the generator fails. You can see a track on the bottom of the CT in some of the pictures. It is used to move the CT to the patient to scan their brain. Pretty impressive!”
The Mobile Stroke Treatment Unit (MSTU) is described as follows on the UCHealth website, “As one of only a handful of such units in the U.S., the Mobile Stroke Treatment Unit is revolutionary in Colorado and beyond. It allows on-board diagnosis and critical blood clot-busting medications to be administered to stroke patients en route to the hospital. The time saved can be crucial. It can prevent the loss of millions of neurons, reducing permanent damage to a patient’s brain.”
The website adds that the MTSU provides medicine with a healthy dose of technology:
- CT scanner comes standard – A device that scans a stroke patient’s brain to guide treatment decisions.
- Telehealth technology on board – A two-way audio/visual communication system allows a neurologist at the hospital to examine, diagnose and recommend treatment for a patient in the MTSU.
- CLOT-busting power – The MTSU is equipped with tPA, a drug that dissolves blood clots. The faster a stroke patient receives this medication, the better.
- Driven by those driven to help – The unit is staffed with acute care-trained professionals knowledgeable in the treatment of stroke.
- Critical-care trained nurse – This nurse has extensive critical and acute-care experience with specialized skills specific to stroke care.
- CT tech – This team member is experienced in performing rapid brain imaging necessary for diagnosis, and is also the telehealth technology operator.
- Neurologist – This stroke specialist is in the unit via telehealth technology. He or she will communicate directly with the rest of the staff to ensure the best treatment is followed and will communicate with the hospital where the patient will arrive.
- Paramedic – This hand-picked individual is exceptional at their job and has received training that’s specific to treating stroke.
- EMT – This individual is an expert in responding quickly to emergency situations regarding medical issues, with significant experience in stroke.
Read a story about how the unit saved a man’s life at tinyurl.com/n93jn78x.