HOISINGTON — With the pride of a new father, Curt Colson, president and CEO of Clara Barton Hospital in Hoisington, introduced the newest member of the CBH family, RETA, at the chamber of commerce coffee on Thursday.
“We’re here to introduce something cool and exciting,” said Colson. “It’s a new venture for us.”
RETA, the telemedicine robot, will increase the level of care emergent stroke patients will receive in the Clara Barton service area. The robot will allow consultation with a neurologist within 10 minutes of arrival at the hospital.
“Last year, we treated 26 stroke patients,” said Colson. Those patients had to be sent to larger hospitals via airplane at a tremendous cost to the individual.
Colson said that now 58 percent of stroke patients can stay in Hoisington without being transported.
“It’s a cost benefit to keep those patients in their home town,” said Colson. These patients will avoid the airplane flight, and families will avoid travel time, meals and lodging in larger cities.
Streamed over the Internet in real time, the patient status and CAT scans can be viewed immediately by physicians in Wichita through the WesleyCare Telemedicine Network ten minutes after arrival at the hospital.
The robot is on a cart and can easily be pulled up to the bedside. It has two cameras, one providing a 180 degree view, and another which can determine the dilation of the eye of the patient, which the physician views. The neurologist can then run the patient through a battery of tests.
A stroke occurs when a clot blocks blood flow to the brain or when an artery in the brain ruptures, resulting in uncontrolled bleeding. Brain cells critically depend on a consistent flow of oxygen and glucose rich blood. When this flow is interrupted by a stroke, brain cells begin to die. Because the body cannot replicate nerve cells, strokes can lead to permanent brain damage and disability. The negative effects of stroke depend upon which part of the brain the stroke occurs in.
The unit also has a phone so that the doctor on duty can speak privately with the neurologist.
The hospital, which leases the robot for $750 per month, received the robot in December. Staff has been training since then and have held mock drills.
They are now ready for patients.
The hospital held a contest to name the robot. Chosen from 70 entries by the hospital board, RETA stands from Remote Emergency Telemedicine Assessment.