Flying a doctor to the location of a stroke patient is better than transporting the patient to the hospital. A new study claims that ambulance helicopters could save more critical time with this new method.

The experts at Johns Hopkins Medicine conducted what is believed to be the first test of physician transportation by helicopter to perform a standard first aid to strike victims. They stressed that "helistroke service" will both save money and provide life-saving procedures in a faster time. Previous research warned that the survival of people with heart problems is crucial within the next 100 minutes after the attack.

Per Science Daily, persons experiencing an acute ischemic stroke are often taken to the nearest available hospital via ambulance helicopter services in the current procedure. In the hospital, the doctor inserts a catheter into the groin of the patient and threads it up through blood vessels to the blood clot in the brain. Once the catheter is placed, they physician delivers the drugs that break up the lump of blood.

However, patient transport time can be significant in the success rate of the treatment. Unfortunately, upon the arrival of the patient in the hospital, others are then taken to a specialized center by road. Thus, delaying the cure and decreasing the odds of recovery even more.

The experts say that there is a 91 percent chance of recovery if stroke patients get there blood flow restored within 150 minutes. The next 1 hour of delay results in a 10 percent reduction of a good outcome. Now, another 60 minutes of delay adds a 20 percent fewer chance of a good outcome. Therefore, the advisable response time for paramedics and physicians is 1 hour and 40 minutes.

To test the theory, the Johns Hopkins Medicine research team planned to fly an air ambulance from the Johns Hopkins Lifeline from Baltimore to a National Institute of Health Stroke Center at Suburban Hospital in Washington D.C. All in all, the journey to treat the stroke patient is 39.4 miles. The test occurred last January, MPR reported.

The ambulance helicopter was alerted around 12:07 p.m. to 12:13 p.m. The weather clearance was obtained at 12:24 p.m. The flight took a total of 19 minutes.

Dr. Ferdinand K. Hui, M.D., associate professor of radiology and radiological science at the Johns Hopkins University, inserted the catheter at 1:07 p.m. and completed the treatment at 1:41 p.m. The total time between the decision-to-treat and the completion of treatment was 77 minutes. Indeed, the "helistroke service" does not only reduce transport time but also increase the rate of survival.

Topics Stroke, Heart attack, Cardiac arrest, Johns Hopkins University