~ Medtronic will support Apollo Hospitals with technical expertise, training and setting up of comprehensive stroke centers aiming at reducing door to needle time ~
~ Apollo Hospitals, with one of the largest Neuro care team in South Asia to use AI in an organized and scalable manner for comprehensive stroke management ~
Chennai, NFAPost: Apollo Hospitals Group announced a partnership with India Medtronic Private Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dublin-headquartered Medtronic plc (NYSE: MDT) 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. The AI software will provide automated analysis in less than two minutes as against currently accepted imaging practices for diagnosis of stroke that takes up to one hour to complete, enabling faster decision making in stroke where every second counts.
Through this partnership, Medtronic will help in bringing in stroke technologies, technical expertise, training and comprehensive stroke management with the integration of AI platform at the Apollo Institute of Neurosciences at ten locations in Apollo Hospitals across the country, taking stroke management to the next level by standardizing stroke diagnosis and empowering clinicians to make faster, more accurate diagnosis and treatment decisions.
Health problem
Commenting on the partnership, Apollo Hospitals Group Chairman Dr. Prathap C Reddy said stroke is a major global public health problem with 1 in 4 people over the age of 25 years suffering a stroke during their lifetime, according to data from the World Stroke Organisation.
“The fourth leading cause of death today, around 1.8 million people in India suffer from a stroke every year and it is only early treatment that can reduce morbidity and mortality. There is an urgent need to improve the treatment and management of stroke using digital technologies,” said Apollo Hospitals Group Chairman Dr. Prathap C Reddy.
Apollo Hospitals Group Chairman Dr. Prathap C Reddy said AI platforms are improving patient care and outcomes every day, and Apollo Hospitals is proud to be at the forefront of the AI revolution in healthcare.
“This partnership brings together Apollo Hospitals’ clinical expertise, AI platform and stroke technologies from Medtronic to transform stroke treatment in the country. With this partnership, Apollo Hospitals continues to be the torchbearer in adoption of digital technology as one of the first hospital group in South Asia to use AI in an organized and scalable manner for comprehensive stroke management,” said Apollo Hospitals Group Chairman Dr. Prathap C Reddy.
Cerebral angiogram
With the introduction of 640 slice CT Scan having a capability of doing cerebral angiogram, Apollo Hospitals Group Chairman Dr. Prathap C Reddy said the patient will definitely gain by means of advanced technical adaptations in stroke treatment.
“AI has been a boon for the healthcare industry and has transformed many different aspects from drug development to diagnostics and clinical medicine and surgery. It has simplified the lives of patients, doctors and hospital administrators, taking over tasks that are routine, saving time and costs, freeing the doctors to give more time to their patients. It has helped to reduce the chances of errors in diagnostic processes and medical errors due to heavy caseloads,” said Apollo Hospitals Group Chairman Dr. Prathap C Reddy.
Medtronic Indian Subcontinent Vice President Madan Krishnan said Medtronic has been leading the fight against acute ischemic stroke (AIS) – enabling physician partners with meaningful stroke technologies to empower their expertise.
Centre of excellence
“There is a huge unmet need with regards to stroke awareness and therapy in India. Medtronic has been partnering with hospitals to create centers of excellence in the country so that patients are identified faster, and they receive the best treatment,” said Medtronic Indian Subcontinent Vice President Madan Krishnan.
Medtronic Indian Subcontinent Vice President Madan Krishnan said the company is aiming to address the current treatment gaps in stroke with innovative technologies, aiming at reducing door to needle time, thereby potentially improving outcomes for patients.
“Our partnership with Apollo Hospitals will further our goal of creating awareness and providing quicker access to quality healthcare for stroke patients in India,” said Medtronic Indian Subcontinent Vice President Madan Krishnan.
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 to improve time-critical triage or transfer decisions and facilitate better patient outcomes.
AI analysis
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 visit in-person only when the AI analysis of the scans suggest indication for treatment.
This will help to 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.
Apollo Hospitals Group Vice Chairperson Preetha Reddy said The Apollo Hospitals – Medtronic partnership will bring about a paradigm shift in acute stroke management, building and establishing a world-class stroke program with uniform stroke protocol across the group.
“Trials have shown success in achieving substantially larger clinical benefits through the use of AI technology and the Apollo – Medtronic partnership will support early diagnosis and effective clinical decision in stroke patients leading to the shortest treatment time for better clinical outcomes,” said Apollo Hospitals Group Vice Chairperson Preetha Reddy.
While early treatment leads to the best clinical outcome, Apollo Hospitals Group Vice Chairperson Preetha Reddy said a trial of stroke patients treated up to 6 to 24 hours with use of AI technology lead CTP or MRI scans showed better clinical outcomes for the patients.
Education programme
“The partnership also envisages a structured training and education programme to further improve the clinical efficiency of the Apollo stroke clinicians and support team,” said Apollo Hospitals Group Vice Chairperson Preetha Reddy.
The Apollo Hospitals and Medtronic partnership to build comprehensive stroke management will lead to multiple patient benefits. The use of AI platform in stroke management will reduce diagnosis time from 60 mins to 2 mins. The time saved is brain cells saved as every minute of delay leads to 2 million more brain cells dying.
A stroke at odd hours of night will not result in patient losing time for an expert review to begin treatment. Time between onset of stroke to treatment is significantly reduced which can help in improving outcome, reducing hospital stay and saving costs for the patient not just on hospitalization but also on follow-up and rehabilitation. Every patient will receive appropriate treatment as per the indication and not lose any treatment opportunity.
Apollo Hospitals Group Managing Director Suneeta Reddy 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,” said Apollo Hospitals Group Managing Director Suneeta Reddy.
Interventional therapies
Apollo Hospitals’ comprehensive stroke center equipped with 24/7 emergency, a team of specialized experts, CT, MRI facility, and capability of specialised surgical and interventional therapies will have treatment taken to the next level through AI.
With AI technology, stroke diagnosis will be standardized and scans will be available remotely within no time to the stroke physician. The technology will increase utilization of IV-tPA (intravenous thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke). It will also increase detection of LVO (large vessel occlusion) which accounts for up to 38% of acute ischemic strokes and utilisation of mechanical thrombectomy (physical removal of the clot in the brain by a special device threaded through the blood vessels). The partnership will optimize stroke protocol and create a strong regional tele-stroke network with the power of AI.
The AI technology-enabled advanced stroke management will be launched at the Apollo Institute of Neurosciences at Apollo Hospitals, Bannerghatta Road, Bengaluru; Apollo Hospitals, Greams Road, Chennai; Apollo Hospitals Navi Mumbai; Apollo Hospitals, Ahmedabad; Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad; Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi; Apollo Speciality Hospitals, Jayanagar, Bengaluru; Apollo Hospitals, Sheshadripuram, Bengaluru; Apollo BGS Hospitals, Mysore; and Apollo Hospitals, Indore.
Modern healthcare
Apollo Hospitals was established in 1983 by Dr. Prathap C Reddy, renowned as the architect of modern healthcare in India. As the nation’s first corporate hospital, Apollo Hospitals is acclaimed for pioneering the private healthcare revolution in the country.
Apollo Hospitals has emerged as Asia’s foremost integrated healthcare services provider and has a robust presence across the healthcare ecosystem, including Hospitals, Pharmacies, Primary Care & Diagnostic Clinics and several retail health models.
Since its inception, Apollo Hospitals has been honoured by the trust of over 150 million individuals who came from 140 countries. At the core of Apollo’s patient-centric culture is TLC (Tender Loving Care), the magic that inspires hope amongst its patients.
Medtronic plc (www.medtronic.com), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is among the world’s largest medical technology, services and solutions companies – alleviating pain, restoring health and extending life for millions of people around the world. Medtronic employs more than 90,000 people worldwide, serving physicians, hospitals and patients in more than 150 countries. The company is focused on collaborating with stakeholders around the world to take healthcare Further, Together.
