Research on telestroke (telemedicine) shows improved access and clinical care in Oregon

If you're a neurologist, you're probably in San Diego at the American Academy of Neurology’s 65th Annual Meeting. Last Friday, researchers at UPenn revealed how telemedicine programs in Oregon are pushing stroke coverage into previously uncovered, less populated areas and expanding coverage by approximately 40 percent. The study shows that, by employing telemedical systems in concert with in-person care, nearly 80 percent of residents had access to expert stroke care within one hour.

The study evaluated all hospitals in Oregon, finding that 43 percent of the population could reach a stroke center in person within 60 minutes, 76 percent had telemedical access, 40 percent had access to both, and 20 percent had no access to stroke care within an hour.

You can read the full press release here.

Speaking of telemedicine - make sure you don't miss the early bird registration deadline for the upcoming ATA (American Telemedicine Association) conference in May. Registration fees go up on April 1. You won't want to miss ATA given that there is so much happening in telemedicine right now!

Baxter's immune-system drug may be effective for Alzheimer's disease

Here's a snippet from the Chicago Tribune:

An immune-system drug produced by Baxter International Inc. helped preserve "thinking" abilities and reduced the rate of brain shrinkage in a small group of patients with Alzheimer's disease who have been studied for 18 months, new research released Tuesday shows.

Researchers presented this information at the American Academy of Neurology meeting in Toronto. It was a small study where 16 of 24 patients had better cognitive response and improved memory function when they were treated with Baxter's Gammagard. The patients were those who had mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. Researchers hope that Gammagard (a biologic derived from plasma) will change the course of Alzheimer's disease. If that's the case,then it would truly be a disease-modifying therapy. The idea behind Gammagard is that it can help the body's immune system to clear the brain of amyloid, a sticky, plaque-like substance thought to be key in the development and progression of Alzheimer's. Isn't it great to see new research unfolding innovative ways to treat conditions like Alzheimer's disease?

AAN in Seattle is Over

The AAN (American Academy of Neurology) meeting ended in Seattle today. These types of meetings generally draw physicians and other healthcare professionals from all over the world. Now that the news about swine flu has spread globally, I wonder what these physicians will encounter when they return to their native countries. I hope they don't get quarantined at the first sign of a sneeze! Modern technology has made it so easy to travel these days. In turn, it's now so easy to spread germs across the globe.

AAN is in Seattle

The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) is having its 61st annual meeting in Seattle this year. The theme this year is: "Better Practices, Better Outcomes." The meeting began over the weekend (April 25) and will run until May 2. Doctors still love to attend major national meetings to get thier continuing medical education (CME). I love Seattle. In fact, Seattle is probably one of my favorite cities because of all the outdoor activities that are available in that area. Mount Rainier is such a great park and I think I could spend weeks backpacking throughout the Cascades Range.