“When we talk of stroke, time is brain,” said Sathishchandra P., neurologist, Apollo Speciality Hospitals. In an effort to diagnose stroke faster and reduce treatment time, doctors are adopting artificial intelligence (AI) for stroke management.
Apollo Hospitals and India Medtronic Pvt. Ltd have partnered for integrating AI for advanced stroke management across 10 hospitals in the network. The AI software would provide automated analysis in less than two minutes as against currently accepted imaging practices for diagnosis of stroke that takes up one hour to complete, enabling faster decision-making in stroke, according to a release.
The platform uses AI to create high quality, advanced images from non-contrast CT, CT angiography, CT perfusion and MRI diffusion and perfusion scans. The stroke team will be able to remotely access the brain scans of stroke patients with AI analysis on mobile app or email, the release said.
Silent killer
Stroke was one of the leading causes of death and disability in the country. It was the fourth leading cause of death and fifth leading cause of disability, according to Dr. Sathishchandra.
“We need to spot stroke to stop stroke,” he said, listing the signs of stroke — face looking uneven, arm or leg weak/hanging down, slurred speech, sudden loss of balance and loss of vision in one or both eyes.
The door to treatment time should be less than 60 minutes as management of acute stroke requires re-establishing blood flow to the brain by injecting a thrombolytic agent. “If treated early, we can reduce disability and mortality,” he added.
He said the advantages of AI-based technology were shortest treatment time, tailored approach for each patient, accurate assessment in shortest possible time and faster decision-making in stroke.
Madan Krishnan, vice-president (Indian sub-continent), Medtronic, said their research showed that every day, more than 4,500 persons were affected by stroke in India, and only about 2 or 3% received right care at the right time. “We want to reduce the door-to-needle time. With this technology, we can do scans faster and accurate diagnosis,” he said.
Prathap C. Reddy, chairman, Apollo Hospitals, said according to the World Economic Forum, non-communicable diseases (NCD) — diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, cancers and infections — were of serious concern during 2020-2030. At least 70% of deaths were due to NCDs, and this would be 80% by the end of the decade. “Healthcare will have greater inputs in terms of AI, automation, robotics and 3D printing,” he said.
“Sharing of knowledge and technology has to work hand-in-hand. Speed is the key and intervention at the right time will benefit patients. By focussing on AI, we will be able to work on research, take data and collate it and better the outcomes,” Preetha Reddy, vice-chairperson of the group, said.
Suneeta Reddy, managing director of the group, emphasised on the need for patients to get timely care.
