Published On January 6, 2016
TECHNOLOGY
Turning a Corner in Stroke Care
Neurologist Lee Schwamm looks at 10 pivotal years in the treatment of stroke victims.
When Proto published its first issue in 2005, researchers who study stroke were just beginning to clarify the benefits of the therapeutic protein named tissue plasminogen activator (TPA). Massachusetts General Hospital had also just started a TeleStroke Program, which allowed neurologists to remotely offer their expertise to help diagnose and treat stroke patients within a critical time window.
Both ideas have made a major impact in how stroke victims are treated. MGH’s own TeleStroke program has expanded to 30 hospitals covering 6.5 million patients, and similar programs have taken root around the world. In this video, Lee Schwamm, vice chairman of the department of neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital, examines those and other treatments, including a revolutionary new use of catheters.
“Stroke affects about 800,000 patients each year and is the number one cause of adult disability in the United States," he says. “We are on the edge of an epidemic of stroke care if we don’t figure out ways to improve the health of our population."
From Mass General
For Some Clots, It Takes a Village Treatment of pulmonary embolisms may benefit from a team approach. But that model faces obstacles inside and outside the hospital.
Shining a Light on Depression Peter L. Slavin and Timothy G. Ferris highlight the need for new approaches to treating depression.
A (Small) Cause of Big Pain Neurologist Anne Louise Oaklander investigates a cause of chronic pain that is treatable without opioids.
Investing in Our Future Peter L. Slavin and Timothy G. Ferris discuss the importance of research funding.
After the Storm Hurricane Maria shut down a factory where intravenous fluid bags were made. Why has this roiled a nation’s hospital system?
How a Disaster Mends Three months after the last major earthquake in Nepal, two emergency responders from MGH describe the practicalities of delivering care in a disaster zone.
A Decade of Palliative Care The first issue of Proto looked at comfort care for those with grave illnesses. The field of palliative care has since grown by leaps and bounds.
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