Mobile stroke unit tops Cleveland Clinic’s 10 innovations for 2015
Specially equipped ambulances that feature a mobile CT scanner and telemedicine capability designed to evaluate and treat stroke patients more quickly are poised to transform care and were given the top spot in the Cleveland Clinic’s latest annual ranking of medical innovations.
Announced at the hospital’s 2014 Medical Innovation Summit, the top 10 list was selected by a panel of 110 Cleveland Clinic physicians and scientists. The mobile stroke unit was selected for its ability to speed administration of tPA, or tissue plasminogen activator, in stroke patients who are still within the treatment window. Cleveland Clinic’s new mobile stroke unit has treated more than 80 people since being launched earlier this year.
Health Imaging recently profiled a mobile stroke unit project in Houston.
A few of the other top innovations on Cleveland Clinic’s list focused on cancer care, including single-dose intra-operative radiation therapy (IORT) for breast cancer. Instead of lumpectomy followed by weeks of radiation therapy, IORT focuses a single dose of radiation on a tumor during surgery and has been shown to be effective.
The full top 10 list is as follows:
1. Mobile Stroke Unit
2. Dengue Fever Vaccine
3. Cost-effective, Fast, Painless Blood-Testing
4. PCSK9 Inhibitors for Cholesterol Reduction
5. Antibody-Drug Conjugates
6. Checkpoint Inhibitors
7. Leadless Cardiac Pacemaker
8. New Drugs for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
9. Single-Dose Intra-Operative Radiation Therapy for Breast Cancer
10. New Drug for Heart Failure
Evan joined TriMed in 2011, writing primarily for Health Imaging. Prior to diving into medical journalism, Evan worked for the Nine Network of Public Media in St. Louis. He also has worked in public relations and education. Evan studied journalism at the University of Missouri, with an emphasis on broadcast media.