Prehospital thrombolytic treatment of acute ischemic stroke using a remotely controlled CT scanner.
Scientific Reports · 2025-10-14 · Implementation & quality improvement
Abstract
Timely access to diagnosis and treatment is crucial for improving stroke patients´ outcomes, but long prehospital transport times hinder timely treatment in rural areas. This study investigates the feasibility of using a remotely controlled computer tomography (CT) scanner at a decentralized medical center (DMC) to expedite prehospital intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) for acute ischemic stroke (AIS). The study involved three phases: technical implementation and testing, procedure development, and clinical training. We used a Siemens Healthineers Syngo Virtual Cockpit system to remotely control the CT scanner at the DMC. This enabled use of the scanner without a radiographer on call at the DMC. Eligibility criteria for undergoing prehospital IVT at the DMC were established. Paramedics, nurses, and physicians underwent comprehensive training on stroke assessment, CT scanner operation, and communication protocols. Technical testing demonstrated excellent feasibility of the system. Simulation exercises showed efficient teamwork, achievement of door-to-needle times (DNT) below 20 min, and NIHSS score consistency in 95% of cases. Risk assessment identified potential challenges, with mitigation strategies implemented. This study demonstrates the feasibility of leveraging existing infrastructure to remotely control a CT scanner at a DMC, for prehospital IVT in a rural setting. This approach is promising for improving timely stroke diagnosis and treatment in rural areas.
Abstract © the authors or publisher, via PubMed. Reuse and removal
Tags
Antithrombotics & thrombolytics · Implementation · Rural & remote · Thrombolytics · Time intervals
Related articles
- Effectiveness of mobile stroke units in reducing time to thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke: a scoping review. (Int J Emerg Med, 2025)
- Organizational Factors Determining Access to Reperfusion Therapies in Ischemic Stroke-Systematic Literature Review. (Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2022)
- Rural Computed Tomography - a model for access to rapid stroke care in sparsely populated areas? (BMC Health Serv Res, 2026)
- Outcomes of Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients Undergoing Air Versus Ground Interhospital Transport in a Rural Area: A Retrospective Comparative Study. (J Korean Med Sci, 2025)
- Prehospital computed tomography in a rural district for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke. (Eur Stroke J, 2025)
- Urban-rural inequalities in IV thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke: A nationwide study. (Eur Stroke J, 2024)