From the January/February 2022 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
Throughout 2021, the healthcare news in Europe largely resembled the news in the United States, which is to say COVID-19 defined everything. Still, from a business perspective, we saw a range of significant, non-pandemic, developments.
OEMs forged new partnerships, embarked on expansions, and constructed new facilities, mergers and acquisitions reshaped the power dynamic of the industry and new research pointed toward a future where care can be delivered faster and more economically.
There’s a lot to unpack, but here, in chronological order, we present the 10 biggest European radiology stories from our Daily News online. These were chosen by a combination of reader engagement and industry impact. To stay up to date on these current events as they happen, be sure to sign up for our free weekly European Newsletter.
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Mobile stroke units improve survival rate for German hospital
Deploying mobile stroke units may give patients a greater likelihood of surviving and avoiding long-term disability.
That’s according to a new study out of university hospital Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin in Germany which, in February and for the first time, was able to link mobile stroke units to improved clinical outcomes.
Heinrich Audebert, of the Center for Stroke Research Berlin (CSB) and Charité's department of neurology and experimental neurology led the team that introduced the mobile units, known as STEMOs (Stroke-Einsatz-Mobile), to the streets of Berlin, with the first one launched in February 2011. Years of research showed STEMO-based stroke treatment to be safe and that it reduced time to treatment, which is crucial, as every minute counts after a stroke.
"Apart from normal ambulance stuff, STEMOs are equipped with a CT scanner and point-of-care laboratory. They are staffed with a neurologist trained in emergency medicine, a radiology technician and a paramedic. This enables the STEMO crew to complete a stroke workup directly after arrival at the scene and start thrombolysis before transport to hospital," Audebert told HCB News.
Known as the B_PROUD study, the evaluation looked at stroke emergencies in Berlin from between February 2017 and May 2019. A total of 749 cases out of 1,543 cases were treated in a STEMO (49%), while a conventional ambulance cared for patients in 794 cases (51%). The odds of patients incurring significant disabilities three months after stroke dropped by 29% if treated in a STEMO, according to the study.
The Berlin Fire Department operates three STEMO vehicles today. Through a collaboration between between Charité, Vivantes – Netzwerk für Gesundheit GmbH and Unfallkrankenhaus Berlin, these units cover most of the Berlin area.
