Apollo partners with Medtronic to integrate AI for stroke management

Apollo Hospitals Group has partnered with India Medtronic Private Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Medtronic plc, to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) for advanced stroke management for the first time in India. The USFDA approved AI platform for stroke diagnosis has been validated by clinical trials.

Through this partnership, Medtronic will help in bringing in stroke technologies, technical expertise, training and comprehensive stroke management with the integration of AI platforms at the Apollo Institute of Neurosciences at 10 locations in Apollo Hospitals across the country.

This will help take stroke management to the next level by standardising stroke diagnosis and empowering clinicians to make faster, more accurate diagnoses and treatment decisions, said Apollo Hospitals.

The AI software will provide automated analysis in less than two minutes as against the currently accepted imaging practices for diagnosis of stroke that takes up to one hour to complete, enabling faster decision making in case of strokes where every second counts.

Dr Prathap C Reddy, chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group said, stroke was the fourth leading cause of death, with nearly 1.8 million people in India suffering a stroke every year. Saying that only early treatment could reduce morbidity and mortality, Reddy added there was an urgent need to improve the treatment and management of stroke using digital technologies.

This partnership brings together Apollo Hospitals’ clinical expertise, AI platform and stroke technologies from Medtronic to transform stroke treatment in the country, he said.

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Madan Krishnan, vice president, Medtronic, Indian Subcontinent said, “We are aiming to address the current gaps in stroke treatment with our innovative technologies, aiming to reduce door to needle time, thereby potentially improving outcomes for patients.”

The AI platform uses artificial intelligence to create high quality, advanced images from non-contrast CT, CT angiography, CT perfusion, and MRI diffusion and perfusion scans, helping hospitals improve time-critical triage or transfer decisions and facilitate better patient outcomes. The stroke team will be able to remotely access the brain scans of stroke patients with the AI analysis on mobile app or email for faster decision making without losing time. Other benefits include physicians being able to evaluate the patients remotely and visiting in-person only when the AI analysis of the scans suggests indication for treatment. This will help reduce unnecessary exposure in a Covid situation. The AI system will also generate a valid document proof to support the clinician’s decision taken on the course of treatment for a stroke patient.

Suneeta Reddy, managing director, Apollo Hospitals Group said, “The Apollo Institute of Neurosciences has revolutionised high-end neurological care in the country. With a legacy of innovation and excellence, it has been working at the cutting-edge of neuro-imaging, neuro-intensive care and medical and radiation oncology services to deliver outcomes that match the leading neurology institutions in the world. A highly skilled multidisciplinary neurosciences team dedicates itself to enhancing patient care through cutting edge technology and the partnership with Medtronic will elevate the quality of stoke care with world-class AI-powered stroke treatment.”