Author: Lindsey Ulrich
"Time is critical during a stroke, and the sooner we, the physicians, receive the information we need to make a thorough diagnosis, the sooner we can activate a care plan and increase the patients' chance of achieving an enhanced clinical outcome."
McLaren Health Care recently expanded its statewide McLaren Stroke Network, which includes McLaren Greater Lansing, a primary stroke center, through the addition of leading-edge technology that will result in quicker, time-critical treatment decisions for stroke care.
The technology, RapidAI, applies artificial intelligence to advanced imaging to analyze clinical data, expedite clinical decisions and connecting the care team on a single, FDA-approved and HIPAA-compliant platform.
McLaren Stroke Network is already the largest stroke program in the state, and the addition of this AI technology adds to the program’s care capabilities. This has already garnered recognition from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association and The Joint Commission.
“Time is critical during a stroke, and the sooner we, the physicians, receive the information we need to make a thorough diagnosis, the sooner we can activate a care plan and increase the patients’ chances of achieving an enhanced clinical outcome,” said Dr. Aniel Majjhoo, interventional neurologist and neurosciences medical director at McLaren Health Care. “Adding this platform is a significant advancement to our program — one with the capacity to save our patients from the potentially devastating effects of stroke.”
The technology is capable of recommending which stroke patients should undergo a thrombectomy, the procedure in which the interventional neurologist tunnels a catheter from the groin to the brain in order to remove the stroke-causing clot restricting blood flow.
With the technology’s capabilities validated by several major clinical trials, adding the platform improves the McLaren Stroke Network’s clinical decision time and time to patient treatment, metrics that are already at best national benchmarks.
All Michigan-based McLaren hospitals are part of the McLaren Stroke Network. Through the use of telemedicine technology, every suspected stroke patient is evaluated by an interventional neurologist with extensive experience in the diagnosis and treatment of stroke — the only program of its kind in the state — aiding in the development and execution of a potentially lifesaving care plan.
Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and the leading cause of adult disability in the United States. With hypertension — high blood pressure, a main risk factor for stroke — on the rise, the risk for stroke is increasing.
Learn more about the recognitions and capabilities of the McLaren Stroke Network at McLaren Greater Lansing and how to spot the signs of stroke in yourself or a loved one, at mclaren.org/lansingstroke.