New AI Technology Helps Hospitals Treat Stroke Patients Faster and Better

In medicine, a quick diagnosis and treatment can be lifesaving. Thankfully, the tools of the future have arrived. They’re now helping doctors and practitioners make medical decisions as quickly as possible. 

Rapid responses are particularly important in the case of strokes. The severity of the impact of a stroke is often a matter of minutes. Now, according to a news release in BMJ, the NHS England has found that AI software that interprets brain scans could triple stroke recovery rates — a truly astonishing statistic. 

The technology may be able to accomplish this goal by diagnosing patients faster. The new AI software processes, interprets, and transfers images at a speed that assists doctors in making faster decisions about the right form of treatment — a breakthrough that could save lives.

Shortening the Time to Treatment by an Hour
According to The Guardian, a stroke, which is when blood supply to a part of the brain becomes blocked, can become very dangerous, very quickly.  According to current estimates, a person can lose 2 million brain cells per minute at the start of a stroke. The longer a stroke goes on, the more likely it is to cause permanent damage such as mobility or communication issues, or memory loss. 

As Health Club Management Magazine reports, making the decision about how to treat a stroke and whether surgery is necessary — can take a specialist up to 30 minutes. That’s a long time when every moment matters. 

Luckily, a new piece of AI software has been installed in all 107 stroke centers in England. This technology, which can analyze brain scans and recognize patterns that point to a stroke that doctors may not be able to recognize, can give a doctor data on the severity of a stroke, and hence what kind of intervention it may need, immediately. This has led to a reduction in the time in which patients receive treatment by an hour. 

“This use of AI can slash the time between someone showing symptoms of stroke to getting treatment by up to an hour – a potentially lifesaving improvement. When it comes to strokes, every second counts,” Care Minister, MP Stephen Kinnock tells the BBC.

Regaining Functional Independence
Though it is always a good thing when patients receive swift medical care, the rapid responses to stroke aided by AI are not beneficial for their own sake. As Health Club Management Magazine explains, it is estimated that the new software could triple the rate of recovery for stroke patients. And in fact, in hospitals that had adopted the software, early treatment raised the rates of return to functional independence in stroke patients from 16 percent to 48 percent. 

The new technology in England illustrates the power of AI to help humanity through saving lives. Machines can see quicker, view more, and analyze information more quickly than humans. When it comes to a stroke, that can make all the difference.