Our NHS works incredibly hard, but logistical challenges, particularly in getting patients to specialist centres for immediate CT or MRI scans, can sometimes lead to crucial delays. This is why the development of AI-Stroke, a revolutionary initiative aiming to turn any smartphone into a rapid stroke-assessment tool, shows promise for future UK stroke survivors and their families.
AI-Stroke’s core function is simple yet impactful: a paramedic in an ambulance, a triage nurse in a busy A&E, or perhaps eventually even a trained professional in a remote GP surgery, can record a 30-second video of a person suspected of having a stroke. The sophisticated AI then immediately analyses that footage. It scrutinises key indicators of stroke signs that align with the vital F.A.S.T. test: facial symmetry and within seconds, provides an alert and assessment score.
By providing an instant, reliable diagnostic aid right at the bedside or in the ambulance, AI-Stroke could drastically cut down the time from symptom onset to appropriate treatment. It allows for immediate communication with specialist stroke teams, preparing them for the patient’s arrival and potentially allowing for faster decision-making regarding life-saving interventions like clot-busting medication or mechanical thrombectomy.
This innovation, which today announced the completion of a US$4.6 million seed round, could drastically reduce diagnosis time and bring expert assessment capabilities to ambulances, rural areas or busy ERs, bringing expert-level diagnostic support into the hands of frontline healthcare workers everywhere. By shortening diagnostic pathways and ensuring the right patients get to the right specialist centre faster, AI-Stroke could be a genuine lifesaver for countless future UK stroke survivors.
