Dr. Roni Eichel, Head of Shaare Zedek’s Stroke Unit, in cooperation with the in-house development team at Magen David Adom developed a new lifesaving app. Once the EMTs have determined that a person has potentially suffered a stroke, the EMTs can use the app to instantly transfer the data required for admission to the hospital’s trauma department (demographics, blood pressure, heart rate, respiration, neurological symptoms) as well as the estimated time of arrival at the hospital. The MDA team will also contact the neurologist in the hospital to provide more details. The hospital then prepares the patient file, books a CT scan and has the relevant medical staff waiting for the patient when he/she arrives at the hospital.
With this new approach, the hospital waits for the patient and not the other way around. Dr. Eichel explains, “My unit’s motto is ‘faster, faster, faster.’ Every minute that passes without treatment [by clot-busting drugs] means the dying of two million brain cells. We have developed a “fast track” at Shaare Zedek for stroke victims.” Based on the pilot, using this app, along with a streamlined process in the hospital, is expected to reduce the time for treatment of stroke victims by 30 minutes-which is very significant when every second counts.
