MGMIMass Gathering Medicine

← Library

AI-DRAFTED — PHYSICIAN REVIEW IN PROGRESSThe citation for this entry was checked against Crossref and PubMed, but its summary and interpretation were drafted by an AI model from the published abstract and have not yet been individually read by a physician. Read the linked source before relying on this operationally.
Paper ✓ verified

Telestroke management during the Hajj seasons 2023-2024: insights from SEHA Virtual Hospital in KSA[1]

Alsaleh GS, Alhomod ASA, Khan A, Alzahrani SS · 2025 · Front Neurol

Summary

Cross-sectional study of 459 adult stroke patients (207 in 2023, 252 in 2024) managed via SEHA Virtual Hospital telestroke consultations during the Hajj. Mean age ~63; majority non-Saudi international pilgrims. Ischemic stroke rose from 46% to 73% of diagnoses between seasons; thrombolysis (TPA) administration held stable at 23% both years with no significant difference in median time-to-TPA. Concludes a centralized telestroke service is a viable, scalable strategy for specialized stroke care at mass gatherings, maintaining stable acute treatment rates across a large, diverse cohort.

So what

Proof at scale that a time-critical specialty can be delivered to a mass gathering by wire: 459 strokes across two Hajj seasons with a 23% thrombolysis rate — competitive with well-run stationary systems — via one national virtual hub. For events anywhere, this is the template for specialty surge without specialist deployment (stroke today; the model generalizes to tox, cardiology, burns), and for the library it adds the definitive telemedicine entry alongside the surveillance and heat clusters from the Saudi Global Centre lineage. Free full text via PMC.

Key findings

  • 459 telestroke consultations across Hajj 2023-2024 via one national virtual hospital
  • TPA rate stable at 23% both seasons; time-to-TPA unchanged - system held under load
  • Ischemic share rose 46%→73% between seasons; elderly international cohort (mean ~63)
  • Centralized telestroke = scalable specialty-care model for mass gatherings
  • Template generalizes: specialty surge without on-site specialist deployment

Read the paper