Strokes diagnosed via iPhone FaceTime

Using two-way video on the iPhone 4 could help doctors assess the severity of a patient’s stroke symptoms, according to a new study.

The study included 20 patients—nine men and 11 women—who were admitted to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta for acute stroke. All of the patients underwent evaluation by a physician at the bedside, who was being directed remotely by another physician via the iPhone 4.

Each physician calculated a score using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and found there was excellent agreement in total scores between them on 10 items included in the scale.

“A person who is experiencing stroke symptoms and seeks care at a medical facility that does not offer acute stroke care should be able to be connected via the iPhone 4 with stroke specialists at another location who can see them with FaceTime video and assess their condition,” says Anderson.

“It’s as if the neurologist is at the patient’s bedside examining them. It offers an easy to use, effective way of transmitting audio-visual information, much less expensive than current telemedicine solutions.”

Current telemedicine technology allows stroke specialists to extend care to rural areas. Using Web-based computer cameras and screens outfitted with specialized tools that send and receive live video and real-time medical information, these neurologists are able to see and examine stroke patients to determine if they are candidates for rt-PA, a clot-busting drug often used to treat stroke.

It very well raised many concerns


There’s a reason why it’s an “economical” solution because the good Dr. is using an unregisted medical device. When used to diagnose a medical condition video is considered a class 1 medical device and should be registered with the FDA as an MDDS and meet guidelines for transmission of medical data Facetime is not registered as such and doesn’t meet the guidelines.







Original Study Here

http://www.strokejournal.org/article/S1052-3057(11)00255-2/abstract