NHS uses artificial intelligence to speed up stroke care

The health service is urging anyone who thinks they or a loved one have symptoms of stroke not be put off seeking help because of coronavirus but to ‘act FAST’.

Statistics are due out which are likely to show that A&E attendances have again fallen significantly in April. But top doctors are urging people who may be having a stroke to come forward for care as soon as possible. As part of the Help Us Help You campaign, the NHS is therefore urging the public to continue to act F.A.S.T. and dial 999 when stroke strikes.

Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust has rapidly adopted an artificial intelligence tool to enable them to speed up decision making and treatment despite dealing with coronavirus. The new AI tool allows doctors to view patient scans remotely on an app and make better and faster decisions on the right treatment options for their patients.

AI solutions are being rolled out across the NHS to support clinical decision making on life-changing treatments including mechanical thrombectomy, a procedure which can prevent long-term disability and enable more people to be independent after their stroke.

Sir Simon Stevens, NHS England chief executive, said: “If you or a loved one are experiencing the symptoms of a stroke or another killer condition you should seek help as you always would – NHS staff have worked hard to ensure you can get it safely. The virus will be with us for some time and that means hospitals will be treating thousands of patients, but at the same time it is great to see cutting edge technologies like AI scans being brought in despite the coronavirus pandemic, to help speed up brain imaging and ensure quicker access to life saving treatment.”

Deb Lowe, NHS national clinical director for stroke, said: “While NHS staff have rightly gone over and above to respond to the global coronavirus pandemic, providing safe, world-class treatment for killer conditions like stroke has always been a priority. Because of that incredible effort from all our doctors, nurses and therapy teams, the NHS has been able to provide care for everyone who has urgently needed it, but my fellow clinicians and I have been really worried that the number of people coming forward for stroke care at the right time has gone down.”

Kiruba Nagaratnam, clinical lead for stroke medicine at the RBH, said: “This work has revolutionised the way we traditionally reviewed scans and made treatment decisions when we are on call. It has also bypassed the ED physician and radiologist involvement, particularly on weekends. We have already used this to refer patients for life changing thrombectomy surgery on weekends with decisions made remotely.”