Brainomix & Visionable technologies provide full pathway stroke solutions for teams, reducing workload and improving patient outcomes
The stroke team at Ipswich Hospital in Suffolk has recently incorporated two innovative technologies into their stroke solutions and service, the Visionable platform and Brainomix’s e-Stroke AI software, which together have delivered solutions across the pathway, from the pre-acute phase to the intra-hospital phase. As a result, the team have observed a speedier delivery of care, superior performance metrics, and, most importantly, improved patient outcomes.
“I was treated with great care & speed. Once at the hospital, I was treated immediately & admitted to Shotley Ward.” – Patient Feedback.
Part of the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) and the East of England ISDN, Ipswich Hospital have for many years maintained a high-performing stroke solutions service, reflected by its high SSNAP scores, including an impressive 13% thrombolysis rate for the 500 stroke patients admitted each year to Ipswich. The Visionable platform is now helping to maintain that top level of service, playing a key role in the East of England Telemedicine partnership and its use of remote consultations during out-of-hours service.
Pre-hospital assessments of suspected stroke patients
The Paramedic Stroke Mimic Telemedicine Project was established to explore the use of video-conferencing technology to support registered paramedics from the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) in their pre-hospital assessment of suspected stroke mimic patients. By collaborating with the local ambulance service, the team managed to reduce stroke mimic admissions by 87%, spotting the symptoms by way of a remote consultation at the patient’s home.
Recent performance metrics indicate that Ipswich continues to deliver best-in-class service, with their proportion of patients being assessed by a Stroke Consultant within 24 hours above the national average (90.4% vs 82.9%), along with how quickly that assessment takes place from admission (4 hours 20 minutes compared to 9 hours 53 minutes nationally).
Implementation of Brainomix e-Stroke
Patients admitted to Ipswich eligible for mechanical thrombectomy are transferred to the Royal London Hospital (RLH), a comprehensive stroke solutions centre in Whitechapel that serves as a supraregional thrombectomy hub for Ipswich and a number of other stroke units across the Southeast of England. RLH are the epicentre of the largest stroke AI network in the UK, serving over 9 million patients. Post implementation of Brainomix e-Stroke, mRS scores (0-3 months) increased from 33% to 55% within 12 months and continue to show an upward trend. MT procedures increased by an additional 163 patients in the same period, totalling 256, making it the one of the busiest MT centres anywhere in the UK.
“With RLH also using e-Stroke, we can communicate instantly, share images & make transfer decisions without delay.” – Dr Alam, Stroke Consultant at Ipswich Hospital.
The implementation of Brainomix’s e-Stroke platform has played a crucial role in optimising Ipswich’s thrombectomy referral service. “As a district general hospital, we don’t have ready access to dedicated neuroradiologists to interpret every stroke scan. The AI software gives us more confidence when interpreting each scan – particularly the CTA’s, where we look for a large vessel occlusion (LVO), a key indicator of patient eligibility for mechanical thrombectomy,” noted Dr Sajid Alam, Stroke Consultant at Ipswich Hospital.
Timely sharing of clinical and radiological information
“When you have to organize a blue-light ambulance transfer, refer the patient, speak to the patient’s relatives, etc., your workload is extremely high. Using e-Stroke has helped reduce this burden, saving us precious minutes, as the scans are immediately available for viewing on the Brainomix web portal. With RLH also using e-Stroke, we can communicate instantly, share images and make transfer decisions without delay,” continued Dr Alam.
Lynda Sibson, Telemedicine Manager, East of England Telemedicine Partnership, also commented on the value that Visionable and Brainomix are delivering: “Both systems are easy and intuitive to operate, and highly complementary, ensuring timely sharing of clinical and radiological information that ultimately enables faster patient transfers. The companies are true partners, easy to work with and highly responsive. We have also found that the technologies are affording us, clinicians, more flexibility and an improved work-life balance – not something to be underestimated!”
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