Life-saving Telestroke hits consult milestone
9 August 2024
Life-saving Telestroke hits consult milestone
WA’s Telestroke service has hit a major milestone of delivering 2,000 consults.
WA’s 24/7 Telestroke service connects hospitals without onsite stroke specialists to metropolitan stroke specialists who can access brain imaging scans, quickly diagnose the patient and recommend the best treatment path.
When a person has a stroke, brain cells can die at a rate of 1.9 million a minute.
Rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke is crucial. For people living in outer-metropolitan and regional communities, access to Telestroke can be lifesaving.
Since it began in late 2021, Telestroke has diagnosed and treated more than 1,700 stroke patients through 2,000 consultations across WA.
National Stroke Week is from 5 to 11 August and is a timely reminder to think FAST:
- Face: Check their face. Has their mouth drooped?
- Arms: Can they lift both arms?
- Speech: Is their speech slurred?
- Time Is critical. If you see any of these signs call 000 straight away.
For more information, visit HealthyWA.