June 5, 2009

INTEGRIS Health Press Release

Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States suffers a stroke. On Saturday, May 30, it happened to Johnny Miller of Clinton, Okla. He had just sat down in his recliner to enjoy a nice dinner when his right arm went numb. He tried to tell his wife of 52 years, Glenna, what was happening but his speech was slurred. Without hesitation she made the decision to take him to the hospital. Since he couldn’t get up on his own, she called 9-1-1.

Johnny Miller

The Millers were taken to the emergency room at INTEGRIS Clinton Regional Hospital. There, an ER physician examined Mr. Miller, immediately suspected a stroke and ordered a CAT scan.

For a second opinion, the physician on duty turned to the newly established INTEGRIS TeleStroke Network, which uses two-way interactive videoconferencing technology to assist rural Oklahoma hospitals when a patient presents in their emergency department with stroke-like symptoms. This first in the state program gives rural hospitals instant access to board certified stroke specialists at INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center and INTEGRIS Southwest Medical Center in Oklahoma City. These highly skilled and experienced experts are often able to detect subtle findings that might otherwise be overlooked.

Dr. Charles Morgan of INTEGRIS Southwest Medical Center took the call from his home. “Within minutes, I was able to access the TeleStroke Network and could physically see and hear the patient. I was able to ask questions, view the CAT scan results and conduct my own exam through the Internet,” says Dr. Morgan. He agreed with the ER physician’s assessment and recommended that the clot-busting drug Activase (tPA) be given immediately. This medication is proven to save lives and reduce disability in stroke patients, when administered during the first three hours of the initial stroke symptoms.

Mr. Miller was flown by helicopter to INTEGRIS Southwest Medical Center. When he left Clinton, his National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score was seven. But thanks to the clot-busting drug and quick-thinking action of the medical staffs at both hospitals, by the time he landed in Oklahoma City his score had improved to a two. The higher the score, the worse the stroke. “INTEGRIS Clinton Regional Hospital is a good hospital,” explains Dr. Morgan. “They have handled strokes in the past without the help of TeleStroke. This just gives them another pair of eyes and another set of tools to improve their stroke care. In Mr. Miller’s case, it was a true success.” Jerry Jones, president of INTEGRIS Clinton states, “The addition of TeleStroke consultation services has added a higher dimension to our patients’ success of recovery from stroke.”

Mr. Miller believes the INTEGRIS TeleStroke Network definitely improved his outcome. He doesn’t appear to have any lasting affects and was released from the hospital June 4. “I feel pretty special knowing I was the very first patient to benefit from this technology. I have been telling everyone I know about it. I am proud of my progress,” says Miller. “I hope the good Lord permits me to stay around for a long, long time.”

INTEGRIS Canadian Valley Hospital in Yukon was the first rural facility to connect with the INTEGRIS TeleStroke Network, on April 28. INTEGRIS Clinton Regional Hospital went live on May 12. The remaining rural hospitals within the INTEGRIS system will be connected by 2011, as will two hospitals outside of the health care system.