Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust is to go live with artificial intelligence software from Brainomix next month.
The AI software analyses CT images of the brain and its blood vessels immediately after the patient has a scan. It automatically highlights the area of probable damage and the blocked blood vessel, acting as a second opinion to support decision making.
It will be used in the Emergency Department to help clinicians quickly diagnose stroke and is hoped it could save the lives of hundreds of stroke patients at Reading’s Royal Berkshire Hospital.
Dr Kiruba Nagaratnam, Consultant Stroke Physician and Geriatrician, and Clinical Lead for Stroke Medicine at the RBH, said the software would transform patient care for stroke victims.
He said: “Interpreting CT brain scans is an essential part of the diagnosis and management of strokes. But this expertise is not always readily available the minute people come through the doors of ED. Interpreting scans of the blood vessels adds another layer of complexity and causes delays.”
“Time is essential and 2 million nerve cells die every minute we delay the treatment. The role of AI in helping non specialist doctors to rapidly identify and treat strokes at the front door when people walk into ED, is going to be a game changer.”
The software is being used in hospitals across Europe, Asia, North and South America. This deployment of the Brainomix is being supported by the National Consortium of Intelligent Medical Imaging, which is for 5 Centres of Excellence in the UK supporting companies, the NHS and Universities work together with patients to collaborate on AI development in medical imaging.
Dr Claire Bloomfield, NCIMI CEO “We are delighted to support innovative companies and hospitals like Royal Berkshire and Brainomix in the development and deployment of AI software to improve patient care. We hope to help the further expansion of this fantastic technology across the rest of the NCIMI network.”
Dr Michalis Papadakis, CEO of Brainomix “We are very pleased to see Royal Berkshire incorporate our e-Stroke Suite software into their stroke service, and are confident our technology can deliver solutions that will help improve access to life-saving treatments for stroke patients in the region.”
