“ In stroke care , time is brain . The sooner a patient is put on the right care pathway , the better they are going to do . Whether that means ruling out bleeds or ruling in something that needs an intervention , being able to do this in a prehospital setting with the technology that we built is going to be truly transformative .” between May 2021 and August 2022 . They found that combining the levels of the biomarkers GFAP and D-dimer with FAST-ED data less than six hours from the onset of symptoms allowed the test to detect LVO strokes with 93 percent specificity and 81 percent sensitivity . Other findings included that the test ruled out all patients with brain bleeds , signaling that the technology may ultimately also be employed to
Issue 33.3 SUMMER 2024
“ Mechanical thrombectomy has allowed people that otherwise would have died or become significantly disabled be completely restored , as if their stroke never happened ,” said Bernstock . “ The earlier this intervention is enacted , the better the patient ’ s outcome is going to be . This exciting new technology has the potential to allow more people globally to get this treatment faster .”
The research team previously targeted two specific proteins found in capillary blood , one called glial fibrillary acidic protein ( GFAP ), which is also associated with brain bleeds and traumatic brain injury , and one called D-dimer . In this study , they demonstrated that the levels of these blood-based biomarkers combined with field assessment stroke triage for emergency destination ( FAST-ED ) scores could identify LVO ischemic strokes while ruling out other conditions such as bleeding in the brain . Brain bleeds cause similar symptoms to LVO stroke , making them hard to distinguish from one another in the field , yet treatment for each is vastly different .
In this prospective , observational diagnostic accuracy study , the researchers looked at data from a cohort of 323 patients coded for stroke in Florida detect intracerebral hemorrhage in the field .
Bernstock ’ s team also sees promising potential future use of this accessible diagnostic tool in low- and middle-income countries , where advanced imaging is not always available . It might also be useful in assessing patients with traumatic brain injuries . Next , they are carrying out another prospective trial to measure the test ’ s performance when used in an ambulance . They have also designed an interventional trial that leverages the technology to expedite the triage of stroke patients by having them bypass standard imaging and move directly to intervention .
“ In stroke care , time is brain ,” Bernstock said . “ The sooner a patient is put on the right care pathway , the better they are going to do . Whether that means ruling out bleeds or ruling in something that needs an intervention , being able to do this in a prehospital setting with the technology that we built is going to be truly transformative .” g
“ In stroke care , time is brain . The sooner a patient is put on the right care pathway , the better they are going to do . Whether that means ruling out bleeds or ruling in something that needs an intervention , being able to do this in a prehospital setting with the technology that we built is going to be truly transformative .” between May 2021 and August 2022 . They found that combining the levels of the biomarkers GFAP and D-dimer with FAST-ED data less than six hours from the onset of symptoms allowed the test to detect LVO strokes with 93 percent specificity and 81 percent sensitivity . Other findings included that the test ruled out all patients with brain bleeds , signaling that the technology may ultimately also be employed to
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