Artificial intelligence helping to triple recovering stroke patients in the UK

The UK government has revealed that the National Health Service (NHS) is using a new artificial intelligence system called Brainomix e-Stroke to help the recovery of patients. Early analysis suggests that the AI can help patients get treatment by as much as 60 minutes faster and patients that recover with no or slight disability is up from 16% to 48% - a tripling of recoveries.

With Brainomix e-Stroke, doctors are given real-time decision support from the AI, which looks at brain scans and attempts to suggest the right treatment while considering how long it has been since the stroke happened. The software also allows stroke specialists to access scans and images remotely so they can assist remotely too.

The AI system is deployed at sites across 11 stroke networks in England. It has been used to detect over 4,500 large vessel occlusions in stroke patients. Brainomix e-Stroke is particularly helpful for detecting LVOs because they require time-sensitive diagnoses and the sooner they’re treated, the more likely a patient is to recover.

“Every minute saved during the initial hospital assessment of people with stroke-like symptoms can dramatically improve a patient’s chance of leaving hospital in good health,” NHS England Director of Transformation Dr Timothy Ferris said about the software. “The NHS is harnessing the potential that AI has to support expert staff in delivering life-changing care for patients with a range of needs, and through the AI in Health and Care awards we are testing, evaluating and supporting the most promising technologies which could transform the way we deliver care.”

So far, government funding for the Brainomix e-Stroke system has helped treat 111,000 suspected stroke patients around England. It’s just the latest example of how artificial intelligence is improving people’s health.

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