Powell River Hospital Foundation Supports Stroke Care Pilot Project
We have recently joined a Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) collaboration to improve our hospital’s response to stroke patient care. This initiative will connect Powell River along with Sechelt and Lions Gate Hospitals, via Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven software, to Vancouver General Hospital (VGH), currently the only location in VCH able to quickly provide specialized stroke recovery therapy. In fiscal year 2022/23, qathet Hospital emergency department admitted 60 Powell River individuals for stroke. We know anecdotally how difficult it is for local physicians to diagnosis the severity of a stroke, to assess whether it is ongoing or how likely it is to re-occur, and how urgently they should request to fly a patient out to Vancouver. Having Rapid AI available at qathet Hospital will enable better stroke identification and decision-making regarding transfer to VGH for a treatment called Endovascular Therapy (EVT) to remove clots and restore blood flow to the brain. A Vancouver Coastal Health information release (below) outlines how this initiative will improve the experience and outcomes for individuals following an acute stroke. __________________ Using AI to support faster stroke care for Coastal patients: VCH Innovation When it comes to stroke diagnosis and treatment, timing is everything: for every minute delay in treatment, 1.9 million brain cells are lost. To treat strokes quickly and effectively, a treatment called Endovascular Therapy (EVT) may be used to remove clots and restore blood flow to the brain. Within VCH, EVT is only available at VGH, which creates care challenges for patients from Coastal communities who need specialized stroke treatment. “We want to make sure that following a stroke, individuals living in our Coastal communities get access to the care they need quickly”, says Kelly Sharp, Regional Stroke Lead. “A brilliant team across VCH is piloting an exciting initiative that will expand the use of AI-driven imaging software to our Coastal communities. This technology will quickly analyze CT scans, determining the severity of a stroke and alerting VGH neurologists right away if EVT is needed.” The diverse team, including stroke neurology, emergency department physicians and staff, radiology, medical imaging, and other key partners across the VCH region, will collaborate to support: Lions Gate, Sechelt and Powell River Hospital Foundations. Updates on this project will be posted as available. |
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The Foundation funds equipment and training. ![]() Archives
July 2024
PR Hospital Foundation
5000 Joyce Avenue Powell River, BC V8A 5R3 (604) 485-3211 Ext 4349. [email protected] Charitable Reg # BN: 130877426RR0001 |