Since 2004, doctors in rural emergency rooms have been using webcams to get an expert opinion before treating stroke patients.

A report, published on Aug. 3 in The Lancet Neurology says that the new technology helps them make the right decision.

“When a person suffers a stroke, time is of the essence,” says Brett Meyer, a UCSD professor who led the study.

Clot busting drugs, like alteplase, should be given within three hours of a stroke, but deciding which patients actually need that medication is tricky.

If a stroke specialist can see and hear their patient, zoom in on their pupils and facial muscles, and ask them questions, they are far more likely to offer the right advice. In fact, experts who examined patients with the webcam made the right decision 98 percent of the time, compared to 82 percent when they simply talked to the emergency room doctor by phone.

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