LITTLE ROCK — The Delta Memorial Hospital at Dumas has partnered with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences to provide life-saving emergency care for stroke patients in the region.
Called AR SAVES (Arkansas Stroke Assistance through Virtual Emergency Support), the program uses a high-speed video communications system to help provide immediate, life-saving treatments to stroke patients 24 hours a day. The real-time video communication enables a stroke neurologist to evaluate whether emergency room physicians should use a powerful blood thinner within the critical 4.5-hour period following the first signs of stroke. The AR SAVES program is a partnership between the UAMS Center for Distance Health, the state Department of Human Services, Sparks Regional Health System in Fort Smith, Delta Memorial Hospital and 30 other Arkansas hospitals.
“This partnership gives us an opportunity to enhance the high level of quality care that residents in our region can find close to home here in Dumas at the Delta Memorial Hospital,” said Cris Bolin, administrator. “We’re committed to helping reduce the number of deaths and disabilities in Arkansas caused by stroke each year, and we are excited to be a part of this important initiative.”
“This is an important part of UAMS’ mission – reaching out to other areas of the state and helping local physicians identify patients with stroke and improve the patients’ outcomes,” said Julie Hall-Barrow, education director for the UAMS Center for Distance Health and program director for AR SAVES.
Arkansas, which leads the nation in stroke death rates, had 1,873 stroke-related deaths in 2007, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The nationwide direct and indirect cost of medical and institutional care of permanently disabled stroke victims was $62.7 billion in 2007, according to the American Heart Association’s 2010 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics.
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“The AR SAVES program will save lives and money because if stroke patients get the treatment they need within 4.5 hours, they have a much greater chance of living without a major, costly disability,” Hall-Barrow said.
She said it’s important the public be aware of the signs and symptoms of a stroke, such as sudden weakness, numbness, unsteady gait, and visual and speech problems. Stroke patients are at high risk of death or permanent disability, but certain patients can be helped with the blood-clot dissolving agent tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) if given within 4.5 hours of the stroke.
The AR SAVES system relies on the state Health Department’s hospital preparedness high-speed video network transmission lines that provide the live video communication.
Since the program began Nov. 1, 2008, nearly 800 patients have received stroke consults through AR SAVES and more than 175 patients have received t-PA.