This brain-wave cap saves lives by identifying strokes
Scientists in Amsterdam have created a special brain-wave cap resembling a swimming cap, which can diagnose a stroke while the patient travels in the ambulance. This will enable early detection and allow the patient to receive appropriate treatment faster.
The scientists from Amsterdam UMC explained that the cap, called StrokePointer, allows an EEG (electroencephalogram), which is like a brain wave test. The test shows whether there is an ischemic stroke, which occurs when brain tissues aren’t getting enough oxygen due to the blockage of blood supply to that part of the brain.
This is scary because brain cells begin to die in minutes – thus, prompt treatment is crucial to save the life of the patient.
How does the cap work?
The cap also recognizes whether the blocked cerebral blood vessel is large or small. This is important because it determines the next course of action by the attendant/doctor in the ambulance. The press release explains that if the ischemic stroke is small, then the patient would be given a blood thinner.
But in case the stroke is large, surgical intervention is needed to remove the blood clot. This saves precious time as then the ambulance can be routed to the correct hospital.
To test their smart brain wave cap, the researchers conducted a study between 2018 and 2022, wherein they employed their new device in 12 Dutch ambulances. With data collected from almost 400 patients, the researchers are confident in their conclusion that the cap can “recognize patients with a large ischemic stroke with great accuracy.”
“When it comes to stroke, time is literally brain. The sooner we start the right treatment, the better the outcome. If the diagnosis is already clear in the ambulance, the patient can be routed directly to the right hospital, which saves valuable time,” says Coutinho.
There are over 7.6 million new ischemic strokes reported every year in the world. Over 62% of all incident strokes are ischemic strokes, as per the Global Stroke Fact Sheet 2022. Currently, over 50% of stroke patients who suffer from large ischemic are transported to a hospital without endovascular treatment, causing them to be transported again. This delays endovascular treatment of large strokes by 60 minutes.
Integrating the cap with AI
StrokePointer is in the process of getting commercialized by a company called TrainecT, which is a spin-off of Amsterdam UMC. The company is also building an artificial intelligence system in which more measurements are collected in order to develop an algorithm for improved recognition of a large ischemic stroke in the ambulance.
TrainecT’s website says, “Our algorithm was meticulously trained using the world’s largest pre-hospital EEG database to diagnose LVO stroke in suspected acute stroke patients. Our groundbreaking research demonstrates an excellent diagnostic accuracy rate of over 80% in identifying large vessel occlusion (LVO) strokes among acute suspected stroke patients.”
The AI study is yet to be published.
The press release mentioned that the research has been funded by the Dutch Heart Foundation with 4 million euros to enable faster treatment of ischemic stroke.
Source: Interesting Engineering
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This brain-wave cap saves lives by identifying strokes