Hospital robot brings future into focus

MOREHEAD CITY — A special robot now on staff at Carteret General Hospital is helping the hospital to cross county borders and put experts in treating a major health issue at the bedside of local patients.

The hospital has partnered with Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center’s Telestroke Network and goes live today with its telestroke robot, Riley, a first of its kind in eastern North Carolina.

Riley, a remotely controlled robot with live video-audio conferencing ability, gives emergency doctors at Carteret General immediate access to Wake Forest Baptist stroke specialists at any time during the day or night.

For a small hospital without a neurologist of its own, that access to board-certified stroke neurologists at a moment’s notice is invaluable in intervention and treatment in the event of a stroke, according to hospital officials.

“What’s amazing is we have some of the best doctors working with us, bringing together technology and helping to make decisions for stroke therapy,” said Brett Parkhurst, RN, stroke coordinator for Carteret General Hospital.

Telemedicine bypasses the traditional limitations of time and distance and links doctors and patients via interactive audiovisual media. Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and its internationally known Comprehensive Stroke Center may be located across the state, but Riley the robot’s advanced technology puts its stroke expertise bedside in Carteret County.

“We’re using technology to bridge geography,” Parkhurst said.

When a potential stroke patient is identified, Carteret General physicians can call the stroke hotline at Wake Forest for a consult and within minutes a specialist is available and online with a Carteret doctor, sharing information and developing plans for care for the patient via video, audio and image sharing capabilities.

Riley the robot makes it more than just an online consult via a laptop or computer. The robot moves around freely, allowing the stroke specialist, now present in the hospital via the monitor mounted on top of Riley, to interact with the patient, family members and hospital staff.

The conversation is live, and local staff can share patient information such as the CT scan and talk with them about symptoms. A telephone mounted on the robot allows for private conversations and from a mounted stethoscope, a physician in Winston Salem can hear the same thing that the local doctor would.

Likewise, they can take a picture of what they are seeing and show that on the video monitor.

The stroke specialist in Winston Salem can see, hear and move around Carteret General Hospital, with Riley the robot allowing them to do just about anything but physically touch the patient.

“It’s not making the nurse go away; it’s not making the doctor go away. It’s extending their abilities and bringing a consult to the doctor,” Parkhurst said.

In turn, it means the best care possible for stroke patients.

Parkhurst said they see about 300 stroke patients a year at Carteret General Hospital. North Carolina falls within the Stroke Belt, a region in the Southeast known for an unusually high incidence of stroke. It is the No. 1 cause of disability in North Carolina and a leading cause of death in the country.

A stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is suddenly interrupted or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts.

Parkhurst said that along with treating stroke patients, the hospital’s goal is to educate the public about the symptoms of stroke and the importance of getting medical care as soon as possible. If diagnosed soon enough, an intravenous clot-busting drug or other interventions to prevent disability or save a life may be possible.

“If you have a stroke, you can carry that disability with you for months or years or potentially a lifetime,” Parkhurst said. “The good news is there are things you can do to help prevent it and second, if you get to the hospital quickly, we may be able to give you a clot-busting drug as an intervention.”

High blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, high blood cholesterol, obesity and physical inactivity are among the things that can increase your chance for having a stroke.

Symptoms of a stroke include sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body; sudden confusion or trouble speaking; sudden trouble seeing; sudden trouble walking, dizziness or loss of balance or coordination.