Door County Medical Center is one of the top critical access hospitals in Wisconsin. More than a hospital, Door County Medical Center is an integrated health system providing Door and Kewaunee counties with state of the art technology and procedures, and top physicians.

There are 4 big ways Door County Medical Center brings state of the art technology to our community. #3 is our Telestroke Robot. Yes, a Telestroke Robot.

Telestroke is telemedicine technology that connects stroke patients and their on-site emergency department physicians with board-certified neurologists, allowing for quicker diagnosis and treatment of stroke.Through live audio and video telecommunication, Telestroke allows a neurologist to be at a patient’s bedside within minutes of the patient arriving at the emergency department.

“When someone is having a stroke, every minute that passes before they receive appropriate medical care can impact their quality of life,” says Sandy Vandertie, Director of Emergency Services at DCMC. “This advanced technology connects the patient with a neurologist within minutes, improving outcomes and reducing the long-term impact of a stroke.”

Nearly 800,000 people have strokes in the U.S. each year, and most of those patients are experiencing stroke for the first time. During a stroke, an estimated two million brain cells die each minute meaning that the faster the response time, the better a stroke can be evaluated and treated, reducing or eliminating long-term disability and brain function loss.

Vanderite explains that after a patient arrives with stroke symptoms, the DCMC team begins a 60 minute gold standard process which they refer to as Code Stroke. “We bring a team of people that come together to manage you, including the neurologist via telestroke robot. The highest priority intervention to have done is a brain scan or CT scan. If we currently have someone in the CAT scanner, we prioritize the stroke patient. The goal is for us to have you in the CAT scanner within 25 minutes of arriving at the hospital. Next, a radiologist, coupled with our neurologist, both evaluate your CT scan. Within 45 minutes of your arrival here, a decision is made whether or not to put in an order for brain saving medicine.”

Living in a rural community should never exclude you from having the most advanced medical treatment possible. Our Telestroke technology empowers Door County Medical Center staff to improve patient care by offering state of the art medical services, right here in Door County