Half of all people experiencing strokes in the UK are now recovering thanks to an innovative AI scanning system that increases the number of patients avoiding serious disabilities.
The NHS is equipped with life-saving software at all UK stroke centres, allowing doctors to quickly tell if emergency surgery is needed, tripling their recovery rate.
The world's first technology only takes one minute to analyze brain CT scans of stroke patients arriving at hospitals and identify the type and severity of the stroke, as well as the most appropriate treatment.
This means that doctors can provide drugs and surgeries more quickly, and the system can reduce the average time between patients starting treatment from 140 to 79 minutes from an hour after arriving at the hospital.
With rapid treatment, the system's NHS pilots tripled the proportion of patients not defined as achieving functional independence or recovering with only a small amount of impairment.
Currently, the tool is implemented in all 107 stroke centres and can change the care of 80,000 people who have strokes in the UK each year. The announcement came on the last day of the European Heart Association Conference in Madrid, the world's largest heart conference.
“We are pleased to announce that we are a great opportunity to help you with this opportunity to help you,” said David Hargroves of NHS National Clinical Director for Stroke.
“It is estimated that patients lose approximately 2m of brain cells per minute at the onset of a stroke. Therefore, rapid diagnosis and treatment is extremely important. AI decision support software provides real-time interpretations of patients' brain scans.
“The NHS stroke team is leading the way in which AI is deployed, and with all stroke centres currently using this technology, they play a key role in improving care for thousands of people in the UK each year.”
If a stroke is suspected, prompt intervention is essential. The blood supply to parts of the brain is blocked during a stroke and, if not treated promptly, can be fatal or lead to permanent long-term disorders such as paralysis, memory loss, and communication problems.
However, due to the complexity of interpreting brain scans and the need for a specialized doctor, it is difficult to know if a patient needs surgery or medication. AI systems can recognize patterns of brain scans that are blind to humans, removing uncertainty and delays in treatment.
Meanwhile, at a meeting in Madrid, the study revealed that living on noisy roads can increase the risk of stroke, even with minimal contamination.
The doctor advised to seal the windows or move to a quieter bedroom to escape the traffic passing by.
The analysis examined traffic noise and air pollution around the homes of 26,723 Danish men ages 65 to 74 over 40 years. An increase in traffic noise by 14.9 dB (difference between quiet side streets and main roads) has increased the risk of stroke by 12.4%.
Dr. Stephen Mates, lead author of Odens University Hospital in Denmark, said:
“These findings underscore the need to address traffic noise as part of public health interventions to reduce the burden of stroke. This is not about short loud events. It is chronic daytime and night noise that destroys sleep and activates stress pathways.”
