On 4 August 2010, the first stroke telemedicine network in Saxony-Anhalt located at the Otto-von-Guericke University of Magdeburg expanded significantly, connecting the Bernburg Hospital with the Stroke Centre of the University Hospital. 

During a ceremony that took place at the Bernburg hospital both the project and the innovative technology were presented to medical staff, representatives of the city, health insurance staff and guests.  

In the framework of the Telemedical Acute Stroke Care (TASC) research project, interdisciplinary staff consisting of economists, engineers and medical professionals in workable business models and in advanced telemedicine technologies is working to improve the healthcare provided to acute stroke patients. The research project is based at the Entrepreneurship Centre of the University Magdeburg and is carried out in cooperation with the Department of Medical Telematics and Medical Technology of the University, the Department of Neurology, the Stroke Unit and the Department of Neuroradiology at the University Hospital of Magdeburg.

The telemedical acute stroke network provides healthcare to stroke patients in remote locations with the assistance of specialists from the Stroke Unit in Magdeburg. In case of an overload of the University Hospital in the future, neurologists at the Bernburg Hospital in the primary care can also treat stroke patients. Thus, the treatment of stroke patients, especially in the rural areas of Saxony-Anhalt has been substantially improved. So far, four hospitals in the TASC Network will be connected, followed by two more clinics.

Stroke is currently the second leading cause of death worldwide and it is the main cause of disability in the Western industrialised countries. In Germany alone, there are about 160 000 new cases annually. An effective acute treatment may only be applied in a very narrow timeframe of three hours after the onset of the stroke and only when a certain type of stroke is detected; during these three hours the stroke must be detected, the rescue and the transportation of the patient to the right hospital must take place, a number of decisions must be made and patients' medical record and examination findings must be collected. This short timeframe does not leave room for delays or medical errors. In regions without stroke specialists in Saxony-Anhalt, the three-hour timeframe compliance is currently almost impossible. The use of telemedicine aims to tackle this effectively.

The TASC project is funded with €1.47 million from June 2009 to May 2011 by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research.

Further information:

• Original News Article - Otto-von-Guericke University of Magdeburg (in German)
• Telemedical Acute Stroke Care (in English and in German)
• Stroke Unit - University Department of Neurology - Otto-von-Guericke-University