5G+Ambulance: Pre-hospital treatment journey for patients with cerebrovascular accidents

This is the 5305th article of Da Yi Xiao Hu

In today's digital age, the rapid development of 5G technology has brought unprecedented changes to the field of pre-hospital emergency care. Especially for diseases such as cerebrovascular accidents and acute myocardial infarction that require time-sensitive treatment, the emergence of 5G ambulances has greatly improved the efficiency and effectiveness of pre-hospital emergency care. Cerebrovascular accident, also known as stroke, is an acute cerebrovascular disease, including ischemic stroke (such as cerebral infarction) and hemorrhagic stroke (such as cerebral hemorrhage). This type of disease has an acute onset, with extremely high mortality and disability rates. The key to treatment is that "time is brain". Studies have shown that patients with cerebrovascular accidents who receive effective treatment within a few hours after onset can significantly reduce the mortality rate and the incidence of sequelae.

In the traditional emergency mode, it often takes a long time for patients to get diagnosed and treated from the onset of illness, which may lead to missing the best time for treatment. The emergence of "5G" ambulances has broken the dilemma of "single-soldier combat" for emergency doctors, improved the on-site handling capabilities of critically ill patients, thereby reducing the deviation of treatment measures, improving the effectiveness of treatment, and moving part of the emergency work to the time when the patient is sent to the hospital, achieving the goal of "admission to the hospital as soon as you get on the car".

One day in November 2024, the morning sun in Shanghai sprinkled on the city streets through the mist. When 65-year-old Grandpa Zhang got up in the morning to wash, he felt dizzy, his left limbs were weak, and his speech began to become unclear. Grandpa Zhang's wife realized that the situation was not good and immediately called 120 emergency number. After receiving the call, the dispatcher dispatched an ambulance to the scene according to the location of the vehicle. The emergency personnel arrived at the scene in about 10 minutes, completed basic vital signs, electrocardiograms, related scales and other examinations, and initially diagnosed it as a stroke. After opening an intravenous channel and oxygen inhalation on the spot, he was quickly transferred to the ambulance and sent to the stroke center of the nearest hospital. On the way to the hospital, the patient's relevant information was synchronously transmitted to the hospital. When arriving at the hospital, the emergency department had made relevant preparations for reception and went directly to the CT room for further examination, which was diagnosed as acute cerebral infarction. Mr. Zhang was then sent to the operating room for thrombolysis and thrombectomy. The operation was successful. A few days later, Mr. Zhang's condition improved significantly. He was able to communicate in simple ways, and the function of his hemiplegic limbs returned to normal. The emergence of 5G ambulances has greatly shortened the time for pre-hospital treatment and won precious "golden time" for patients.

The emergence of 5G ambulances is a major breakthrough in the field of medical emergency. It achieves seamless connection between pre-hospital and in-hospital services through real-time data transmission, remote consultation, intelligent navigation and other functions, greatly improving the efficiency of emergency treatment and providing strong support for the treatment of acute and severe patients such as cerebrovascular accidents. However, the diagnosis and treatment of diseases requires not only the efforts of doctors, but also the full cooperation of patients and timely identification and dialing 120.

Do you know how to recognize a cerebrovascular accident (stroke)?

Remembering the BEFAST formula can help us quickly identify stroke.

The BEFAST formula, the first five letters each represent an early symptom, and the last letter emphasizes that once the above symptoms are found, you should call the emergency number as soon as possible and seek medical attention immediately.

B—Balance refers to the decrease or loss of balance or coordination ability, and sudden difficulty in walking.

E—Eyes, refers to sudden changes in vision, difficulty seeing, or double vision.

F—Face refers to sudden facial asymmetry and crooked corners of the mouth.

A—Arms. Sudden weakness or numbness in the arms, usually on one side of the body.

S—Speech, refers to unclear speech, inability to express or inability to understand the content of other people's speech.

T—Time. Once the above symptoms appear, do not wait, call "120" immediately for medical assistance.

Author: Shanghai Minhang District Medical Emergency Center

Dr. He Qiubin