Telemedicine-Enabled Ambulances for Prehospital Acute Stroke Management: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Objective: To assess the feasibility and potential scalability of telemedicine-enabled ambulances for the prehospital evaluation of patients with suspected acute stroke symptoms. Patients and Methods: A pilot study of telemedicine-enabled ambulances for evaluating patients with suspected acute stroke symptoms en route at 2 tertiary academic comprehensive stroke centers from January 1, 2018, to February 5, 2024. Charts of included patients were reviewed for demographic data, vascular risk factors, final diagnosis, time from arrival to neuroimaging, door-to–needle and door-to-puncture times in patients eligible for acute treatment, and any reported technical challenges during audio-video consultations. Results: Forty-seven patients (mean age, 68.0 years; 62% men) were evaluated via telemedicine-enabled ambulances, of which 35 (74%) where for hospital-to-hospital transferred patients. Mean time from arrival to neuroimaging was 11.8 minutes. Twenty-nine patients (62%) were diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke, and the remainder were diagnosed with intracranial hemorrhage (n=13), seizure (n=2), brain mass (n=1), or other diagnoses (n=3). Four patients (9%) received intravenous thrombolysis with alteplase (mean door to needle, 30.3 minutes), and 15 patients (32%) underwent mechanical thrombectomy (mean door to puncture, 72 minutes). Technical challenges were reported in 15 of the 42 (36%) cases, of which 10 (67%) were related to poor internet connectivity. Conclusion: Telemedicine-enabled ambulances in emergency medical services systems are novel, feasible, and potentially scalable options for evaluating patients with suspected acute stroke in the prehospital setting. However, optimization of infrastructure, staffing models, and internet connectivity is necessary, and larger studies evaluating the clinical and cost effectiveness of this approach are needed before widespread implementation.