The Owensboro Magazine 2009

HEALTH CARE Robot Doctor By Benjamin Hoak uspected stroke patients who find themselves in Owensboro Medical Health System’s emergency department might think they’ve gone back to the future when their doctor enters the room. If the hospital’s staff neurologist is not on call, they’re likely to be examined by a five-and-ahalf-foot tall blue robot with a video screen for a head. On the screen, though, will be the face of a real person – Dr. Kerri Remmel, director of the University of Louisville Hospital’s Stroke Center. For hospitals in Kentucky such as OMHS, which has only one neurologist on staff, occasions will inevitably arise when that neurologist cannot see patients who are exhibiting stroke-like symptoms. Because time is critical in stroke cases, the OMHS emergency department will quickly request a consult from the Stroke Center in Louisville. Dr. Remmel will then fire up her home or office computer, don her headset and remotely activate the robot, which is plugged into the wall at OMHS. Thanks to full-motion images transmitted through a wireless Internet signal, Remmel can drive the robot to the patient’s room, where the patient and his or her family will see her on the monitor. “I am in the room, I can introduce myself to the patient, their family, do a full neurological exam (and be) very confident in my diagnosis,” she said. Dr. Robert Knight, chair of emer- Neurologist Dr. Kerri Remmel navigates the hospital hallways remotely via robot when a stroke patient is admitted and there is no local neurologist on call. S gency medicine at OMHS, said patients react well to the robot because they’re also seeing an actual person in front of them. “It takes 30 seconds for patients to forget they’re talking to a robot,” said Remmel, who has treated all ages of patients. Through the cameras, Remmel can converse with the patient, watch Dr. Knight do a physical exam of the patient and even maneuver to a new position. The robot does not actually touch patients, although it is able to use a stethoscope if needed. According to the doctors, actually seeing the patient rather than merely listening to a description over the phone dramatically improves treatment. “They get a real feel for the patients,” Knight said, “seeing how weak they are, what the speech is like. They can get a better picture of it than we can explain in words.” Remmel also cited a study showing a statistically significant difference in patients treated with this technique rather than by phone. “It’s very clear that using telemedicine was far superior,” she said. A stroke occurs when brain function is impaired due to an interruption in blood flow to the brain (often caused by a blood clot). Stroke victims usually have about a three-hour window from the onset of symptoms to be given a clot-busting drug called IVtPA that will re-open blocked arteries without the need for further treatment. Beyond that treatment, there is another eight-hour window for an interventional neurologist such as Dr. Alex Abou-Chebl at U of L’s Stroke Center to snake a micro-catheter into the blood vessel to retrieve the clot. The robot, Knight said, “gives us a quick gateway because there are such time constraints in interventional stroke care.” Because she can see the patient, Remmel can determine more quickly if the patient needs the clot-buster or not, and if he or she needs to be transported to Louisville for more advanced care. Beyond the convenience of patients staying at their home hospital, “time saved is brain saved,” and the robot speeds those decisions greatly, especially for patients in OWENSBORO 36

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Owensboro Magazine 2009

The Owensboro 2009 From our Chair Contents Buffalo Trace Brings History to Owensboro Environmental Education Blooms in the Garden Owensboro Arts and Cultural Events Making the Grade Building Opportunity In the Swim Economic Development through Placemaking Sister Cities brings International Benefits Embracing Innovation to spur Economic Development Creating a Pool of Skilled Workers Expanding Transportation Options One-Stop Business Licensing Robot Doctor Building a Locally-Based Food Economy Welcome to the Neighborhood Luxury Living on the River Moving In Trendy Excursions Evolves with the Times The Crème Brews Comfort Downtown Growing with the Community Family Business Boasts Longevity, Good Barbecue Entrepreneurial Spirit Comes Home Capturing the Broadway Market Ministering to Church Leaders Community at-a-Glance By the Numbers Dining & Catering Guide Advertiser Index

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.