By Elira Ben-Avari, Correspondent August 9, 2012
Lake EMS clinical training officer Scott Temple. (Lake EMS / Aug 09, 2012)
MOUNT DORA For the past three years Lake County's emergency medical service has provided a revolutionary way to more quickly assess stroke patients to dramatically increase survival rates.
Dr. Paul Banerjee, Lake EMS medical director, and clinical training officer Scott Temple were invited to present the agency's effective and advanced diagnostic stroke protocols at a recent stroke conference in Chicago.
Lake EMS was the only emergency medical service in the nation invited to present a session at the conference.
"The Lake EMS system has revolutionized the pre-hospital care of severe, acute stroke patients in order to diagnose and accurately triage them to the most appropriate facility for definitive care," Banerjee said.
Banerjee, who has worked in emergency medicine for more than 14 years, is a nationally recognized speaker presenting innovative programs and protocols such as induced hypothermia and cardiac-arrest care at conferences and medical directors' meetings. He is slated as a presenter at the upcoming EMS World Expo in New Orleans.
Also, Banerjee recently was named EMS Medical Director of the Year by the state Department of Health's Bureau of Emergency Medical Services for, among other things, promoting new medical trends and technologies. Lake EMS' work in stroke care has also been recognized nationally.
"The longer you wait, the less beneficial the therapists can be," he said. "We can perform a more in-depth assessment very quickly based on the patients symptoms. The goal is that our citizens receive the optimal care for a stroke."
In Chicago, Banerjee and Temple explained how the stroke program works in Lake and shared impressive stroke outcome results for the previous year based on feedback received about stroke patients who had been sent to Shands Hospital in Gainesville and Florida HospitalOrlando. They also demonstrated how conference participants may implement the Lake EMS model in their areas to optimize stroke care. Stroke is the third-leading cause of death, according to American Heart Association.
Link:
Lake EMS' stroke treatment highlighted at Chicago conference