Through a program called ACCESS Telemedicine, the ER physician and nurses work together as a team with the neurologists and experts at the University of New Mexico to develop a treatment plan.

The Teleneurology services can overcome geographic and transportation barriers and allows access to neurologists through real-time videoconferencing and teleradiology. Examples of neurological conditions treatable through Teleneurology include:

• Stroke: Getting care fast can make a big difference for a person having a stroke. During a stroke, the delivery of critical nutrients and oxygen to your brain is interrupted. As a result, the tissue begins to die, and irreversible damage can happen quickly. The sooner, you receive a clot-busting medication called tPA, the better, as it works to restore the flow of blood to the brain, preserving the maximum amount of tissue, increasing the chances of survival and lowering the likelihood of disability. Having a stroke is scary enough without worrying about a delay in care while driving to Santa Fe or Albuquerque. Our partnership with ACCESS Telemedicine is designed to provide our patients in Las Vegas with a rapid telestroke consultation with neurologists at the University of New Mexico. Learn the symptoms of a stroke here
• Altered mental status: Symptoms such as confusion, disorientation and loss of consciousness need careful evaluation.
• Back and spinal cord injuries: Damage to the spinal cord can frequently cause paralysis or death.
• Cavernous angioma (cavernoma): Cavernomas can cause seizures, weakness, balance problems and hemorrhage. These clusters of abnormal blood vessels in the brain and spinal cord are rare in most populations. But they can be passed down in families and occur at a higher rate among Hispanic families of New Mexican descent. ACCESS telemedicine provides expertise with the UNM, which is designated as a Cavernous Angioma Center of Excellence, one of only two in the U.S.
• Concussion, head trauma and traumatic brain injury: Falls, sports collisions and accidents can cause hard-to-distinguish symptoms. ACCESS Telemedicine neurologists and neurosurgeons can help differentiate which conditions need local care and which require transfer.
• Seizure: Abnormal electrical activity in the brain can result from infection, fever, stroke, or overdose or withdrawal from drugs or alcohol. Very high blood pressure or a brain tumor can also cause a seizure. Teleneurology can consult on a patient’s appearance, speech and test results to pinpoint the cause.