Telestroke and the Race for the Clot: Prehospital Recognition of LVO and Stroke Activation

Recognizing a possible stroke calls for action. What happens next depends on how quickly the team turns that concern into a coordinated response.

For this UW Health Emergency Education Night session, we are delighted to welcome back a familiar face to our audience, Dr. Cassie Nankee, UW Health vascular neurologist and Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

After joining us in 2024, Dr. Nankee returns to continue an important conversation about the connection between early recognition in the field and the stroke care that follows.

For EMS professionals, that means recognizing findings concerning for a large vessel occlusion (LVO), gathering essential information, and communicating a clear picture to the receiving hospital. For emergency departments and stroke specialists, it means turning that early notification into a shared plan. Every transition is an opportunity to move care forward.

Together, we will explore prehospital stroke recognition, stroke activation, and telestroke consultation. The discussion will examine the role and limitations of LVO screening, the information that supports timely evaluation, and how EMS and hospital teams can coordinate the next steps.

Dr. Nankee will also discuss how telestroke connects bedside teams with stroke expertise and supports decisions about treatment and transfer, including the challenges faced by rural and community hospitals.

Join us in welcoming Dr. Nankee back for an evening focused on practical lessons, clear communication, and the partnership that connects the first assessment to specialist care.

Because the race for the clot takes an entire team.

Target Audience

This activity is intended for EMS providers of all levels, including:

• Emergency Medical Responders
• EMT Basic
• Advanced EMTs
• Paramedics
• Critical Care Paramedics
• Emergency department nurses
• Advanced practice providers
• Physicians and other healthcare professionals involved in emergency and prehospital care

General Educational Objectives

Upon participation in this activity, EMS and emergency care professionals will be able to:

1. Define hidden or silent hypoxia and describe why patients may appear clinically stable despite inadequate oxygenation.
2. Explain the physiologic mechanisms that contribute to silent hypoxia in patients with COPD, sepsis, overdose, and evolving respiratory failure.
3. Identify subtle assessment findings and vital sign trends that may indicate early respiratory deterioration before obvious distress or collapse.
4. Apply evidence informed assessment, oxygenation, ventilation, capnography, reassessment and early notification strategies to patients at risk for respiratory failure

Continuing Education and Accreditation

This activity provides 1.0 Continuing Education Hour through the University of Wisconsin Interprofessional Continuing Education Partnership.

EMS Providers: This activity is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Prehospital Continuing Education (CAPCE). Granting of CAPCE credit does not represent endorsement by CAPCE or its board members.

EMS participants must attend the live session in its entirety and complete the required attendance verification and evaluation within 30 days to receive continuing education credit.

Cost

There is no cost to attend this activity.

Register here for the live session: Telestroke and "the Race for the Clot": Prehospital Recognition of LVO and Stroke Activation.