AI Software to Detect Large Vessel Occlusion Cuts Workflow Time

THURSDAY, Sept. 21, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Artificial intelligence (AI)-detected large vessel occlusion (LVO) ischemic stroke coupled with secure mobile phone application-based communication improves in-hospital acute ischemic stroke workflows, according to a study published online Sept. 18 in JAMA Neurology.

Juan Carlos Martinez-Gutierrez, M.D., from UT Health in Houston, and colleagues assessed whether automated computed tomography (CT) angiogram interpretation coupled with secure group messaging can improve in-hospital endovascular stroke therapy (EVT) workflows. The analysis included 243 participants with LVO stroke who presented through the emergency department and were treated with EVT at four comprehensive stroke centers.

The researchers found that implementation of the AI algorithm was associated with a reduction in door-to-groin time by 11.2 minutes, while time from CT scan initiation to EVT start declined by 9.8 minutes. However, there were no differences seen in intravenous tissue plasminogen activator treatment times or hospital length of stay. When adjusting for age, National Institutes of Health Stroke scale score, and the Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score, there was no difference observed in the likelihood of functional independence as measured by the modified Rankin Scale score (odds ratio, 1.3; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.42 to 4.0).

"In a cohort as heterogeneous as this one, in which nearly all patients with EVT presenting through the emergency department were included, it is unlikely that our sample size would provide sufficient power to detect a difference in clinical outcomes with an 11-minute acceleration in care," the authors write.

One author disclosed ties to the medical technology industry.

Abstract/Full Text