Use of telemedicine to increase thrombolysis and advance care in acute ischemic stroke.

The use of the only proven therapy for acute ischemic stroke, intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), remains disappointingly low. One potential way to increase the use of tPA is by the implementation of telemedicine stroke care networks. Preliminary data from several studies indicate that the safe and expanded use of tPA for ischemic stroke can be accomplished with the help of telemedicine. Telemedicine stroke care networks can also be used in the future to enhance stroke diagnosis with advanced CT and MRI technology and to potentially increase the number of patients referred to tertiary stroke centers for intra-arterial therapies. It is highly likely that telemedicine stroke care will substantially enhance acute stroke therapy for remote and underserved populations.