Thursday, February 02, 2023

Smartphone app may help identify stroke symptoms as they occur


American Stroke Association International Stroke Conference 2023, Abstract WMP120

Reports and Proceedings

AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION

Research Highlights:

  • A new smartphone application called FAST.AI may recognize common stroke symptoms as they are happening.
  • Preliminary research suggests the app might be as accurate at diagnosing stroke as a neurologist.
  • Early recognition of stroke symptoms may result in more timely treatment, which may minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and improve chances for a full recovery.


DALLAS, Feb. 2, 2023 — A new smartphone application called FAST.AI may help people who are having a stroke or their family and caregivers recognize common stroke symptoms in real time, prompting them to quickly call 9-1-1, according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2023. The meeting, to be held in person in Dallas and virtually Feb. 8-10, 2023, is a world premier meeting for researchers and clinicians dedicated to the science of stroke and brain health.

According to the American Heart Association, stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. About 85% of all strokes in the U.S. are ischemic strokes, which are caused by a blood clot in a blood vessel that blocks the flow of blood to the brain.

FAST.AI is a fully automated smartphone application for detection of severe stroke using machine learning algorithms to recognize facial asymmetry (drooping of the muscles in the face), arm weakness and speech changes – all common stroke symptoms. This study is ongoing, and the mobile application is still in development and not available to the public.

The smartphone application uses a facial video of the patient to examine 68 facial landmark points; sensors that measure arm movement and orientation; and voice recordings detect speech changes. Information from each test was sent to a database server for analysis.

Researchers validated FAST.AI’s performance by testing nearly 270 patients with a diagnosis of acute stroke (41% women; average age of 71 years) within 72 hours of hospital admission at four major metropolitan stroke centers in Bulgaria (St. Anna University Hospital in Sofia; University Hospital Haskovo in Haskovo; University Hospital Pulmed in Plovdiv; and University Hospital “Prof. Dr. Stoyan Kirkovich” in Stara Zagora) from July 2021 to July 2022. Neurologists who examined the patients tested the app then compared the FAST.AI results with their clinical impressions.

The analysis found:

  • The smart phone app accurately detected stroke-associated facial asymmetry in nearly 100% of patients.
  • The app accurately detected arm weakness in more than two-thirds of the cases.
  • And while the slurred speech module remains to be fully validated and tested, preliminary analyses confirmed that it may be able to reliably detect slurred speech, according to the researchers.

Clot-busting medication should be administered within three hours (up to four-and-a-half hours in certain eligible patients) after symptoms begin. And the faster the treatment is administered, the more likely for a better recovery: on average, 1.9 million brain cells die every minute that a stroke goes untreated, according to the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association. Previous research has found that stroke patients who are treated within 90 minutes of their first symptoms were almost three times more likely to recover with little or no disability in comparison to those who received treatment more than 90 minutes after symptoms begin.

“Many stroke patients don’t make it to the hospital in time for clot-busting treatment, which is one reason why it is vital to recognize stroke symptoms and call 9-1-1 right away,” said study author Radoslav I. Raychev, M.D., FAHA, a clinical professor of neurology and a vascular neurologist at the University of California, Los Angeles. “These early results confirm the app reliably identified acute stroke symptoms as accurately as a neurologist, and they will help to improve the app’s accuracy in detecting signs and symptoms of stroke.”

A limitation of the study is that neurologists (not the individuals, family members or caregivers) conducted the screenings and taught patients how to use the application.

American Stroke Association volunteer expert and EPI and Stroke Council member Daniel T. Lackland, Dr.P.H., FAHA, professor and director of the Division of Translational Neurosciences and Population Studies in the department of neurology at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina, applauded the research as a promising tool to address a major health challenge – how to prompt individuals with stroke symptoms to seek care in a short window of opportunity.

“This abstract describes a validated approach for an easy assessment of signs of a stroke and the prompt to seek care. The app may help individuals assess the signs of a stroke without the need to recall the warning signs, ” said Lackland, who was not involved in the study.

Co-authors are Jeffrey L. Saver, M.D., FAHA; David S. Liebeskind, M.D., FAHA; Svetlin Penkov, Ph.D.; Daniel Angelov, Ph.D.; Krasimir Stoev; Todor Todorov; Teodora Sakelarova, M.D.; Dobrinka Kalpachka, M.D.; Hristiana Pelyova, M.D.; Rostislava Ruseva, M.D.; Svetlana Velcheva, M.D.; Emanuela Kostadinova, M.D.; Denislav Dimov, M.D.; Kolarova Anna, M.D.; Teodora Manolova, M.D.; Filip Alexiev, M.D., Ph.D.; and Ivan Milanov, M.D., Ph.D.  Authors’ disclosures are listed in the abstract.

The app is owned by Neuronics Medical, of which Raychev is a co-founder. Boehringer Ingelheim funded the study through a research grant with no app ownership. The Bulgarian Society of Neurology helped with study organization. Study senior author, Ivan Milanov is president of the Bulgarian Society of Neurology.

Statements and conclusions of studies that are presented at the American Heart Association’s scientific meetings are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the Association’s policy or position. The Association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. Abstracts presented at the Association’s scientific meetings are not peer-reviewed, rather, they are curated by independent review panels and are considered based on the potential to add to the diversity of scientific issues and views discussed at the meeting. The findings are considered preliminary until published as a full manuscript in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

The Association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific Association programs and events. The Association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and biotech companies, device manufacturers and health insurance providers and the Association’s overall financial information are available here.

Additional Resources:


IT HAPPENED TO ME

Stroke symptoms, even if they disappear within an hour, need emergency assessment


A new American Heart Association scientific statement discusses rapid evaluation for transient ischemic attack (TIA) due to high risk of future stroke

Peer-Reviewed Publication

AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION

Statement Highlights:

  • Diagnosing a transient ischemic attack (TIA), sometimes called a “warning stroke,” is challenging because symptoms often disappear within an hour.
  • A new American Heart Association scientific statement describes how to assess patients who experience a TIA, with specific guidance for health care professionals in rural areas.
  • Nearly one in five people who have a suspected TIA will have a full-blown stroke within three months, and two in five, given the appropriate scan, will learn they have actually had a stroke instead of a TIA.
  • Comprehensive evaluation of suspected TIA patients with imaging and use of risk assessment scoring may help determine which patients should be hospitalized because they are at the highest risk for a full-blown stroke.

DALLAS, January. 19, 2023 — Stroke symptoms that disappear in under an hour, known as a transient ischemic attack (TIA), need emergency assessment to help prevent a full-blown stroke, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement published today in the Association’s journal Stroke. The statement offers a standardized approach to evaluating people with suspected TIA, with guidance specifically for hospitals in rural areas that may not have access to advanced imaging or an on-site neurologist.

TIA is a temporary blockage of blood flow to the brain. Each year, about 240,000 people in the U.S. experience a TIA, although this estimate may represent underreporting of TIA because symptoms tend to go away within an hour. While the TIA itself doesn’t cause permanent damage, nearly 1 in 5 of those who have a TIA will have a full-blown stroke within three months after the TIA, almost half of which will happen within two days. For this reason, a TIA is more accurately described as a warning stroke rather than a “mini-stroke,” as it’s often called.

TIA symptoms are the same as stroke symptoms, only temporary. They begin suddenly and may have any or all of these characteristics:

  • Symptoms begin strong then fade;
  • Symptoms typically last less than an hour;
  • Facial droop;
  • Weakness on one side of the body;
  • Numbness on one side of the body;
  • Trouble finding the right words/slurred speech; or
  • Dizziness, vision loss or trouble walking.

The F.A.S.T. acronym for stroke symptoms can be used to identify a TIA: F ― Face drooping or numbness; A ― Arm weakness; S ― Speech difficulty; T ― Time to call 9-1-1, even if the symptoms go away.

“Confidently diagnosing a TIA is difficult since most patients are back to normal function by the time they arrive at the emergency room,” said Hardik P. Amin, M.D., chair of the scientific statement writing committee and associate professor of neurology and medical stroke director at Yale New Haven Hospital, St. Raphael Campus in New Haven, Connecticut. “There also is variability across the country in the workup that TIA patients may receive. This may be due to geographic factors, limited resources at health care centers or varying levels of comfort and experience among medical professionals.”

For example, Amin said, “Someone with a TIA who goes to an emergency room with limited resources may not get the same evaluation that they would at a certified stroke center. This statement was written with those emergency room physicians or internists in mind – professionals in resource-limited areas who may not have immediate access to a vascular neurologist and must make challenging evaluation and treatment decisions.”

The statement also includes guidance to help health care professionals tell the difference between a TIA and a “TIA mimic” – a condition that shares some signs with TIA but is due to other medical conditions such as low blood sugar, a seizure or a migraine. Symptoms of a TIA mimic tend to spread to other parts of the body and build in intensity over time.

Who is at risk for a TIA?

People with cardiovascular risk factors, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol and smoking, are at high risk for stroke and TIA. Other conditions that increase risk of a TIA include peripheral artery disease, atrial fibrillation, obstructive sleep apnea and coronary artery disease. In addition, a person who has had a prior stroke is at high risk for TIA.

Which tests come first once in the emergency room?

After assessing for symptoms and medical history, imaging of the blood vessels in the head and neck is an important first assessment. A non-contrast head CT should be done initially in the emergency department to rule out intracerebral hemorrhage and TIA mimics. CT angiography may be done as well to look for signs of narrowing in the arteries leading to the brain. Nearly half of people with TIA symptoms have narrowing of the large arteries that lead to the brain.

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan is the preferred way to rule out brain injury (i.e., a stroke), ideally done within 24 hours of when symptoms began. About 40% of patients presenting in the ER with TIA symptoms will actually be diagnosed with a  stroke based on MRI results. Some emergency rooms may not have access to an MRI scanner, and they may admit the patient to the hospital for MRI or transfer them to a center with rapid access to one.

Blood work should be completed in the emergency department to rule out other conditions that may cause TIA-like symptoms, such as low blood sugar or infection, and to check for cardiovascular risk factors like diabetes and high cholesterol.

Once TIA is diagnosed, a cardiac work-up is advised due to the potential for heart-related factors to cause a TIA. Ideally, this assessment is done in the emergency department, however, it could be coordinated as a follow-up visit with the appropriate specialist, preferably within a week of having a TIA. An electrocardiogram to assess heart rhythm is suggested to screen for atrial fibrillation, which is detected in up to 7% of people with a stroke or TIA. The American Heart Association recommends that long-term heart monitoring within six months of a TIA is reasonable if the initial evaluation suggests a heart rhythm-related issue as the cause of a TIA or stroke.

Early neurology consultation, either in-person or via telemedicine, is associated with lower death rates after a TIA. If consultation isn’t possible during the emergency visit, the statement suggests following up with a neurologist ideally within 48 hours but not longer than one week after a TIA, given the high risk of stroke in the days after a TIA. The statement cites research that about 43% of people who had an ischemic stroke (caused by a blood clot) had a TIA within the week before their stroke.

Assessing stroke risk after TIA

A rapid way to assess a patient’s risk of future stroke after TIA is the 7-point ABCD2 score, which stratifies patients into low, medium and high risk based on Age, Blood pressure, Clinical features (symptoms), Duration of symptoms (less than or greater than 60 minutes) and Diabetes. A score of 0-3 indicates low risk, 4-5 is moderate risk and 6-7 is high risk. Patients with moderate to high ABCD2 scores may be considered for hospitalization.

Collaboration among emergency room professionals, neurologists and primary care professionals is critical to ensure the patient receives a comprehensive evaluation and a well-communicated outpatient plan for future stroke prevention at discharge.

“Incorporating these steps for people with suspected TIA may help identify which patients would benefit from hospital admission, versus those who might be safely discharged from the emergency room with close follow-up,” Amin said. “This guidance empowers physicians at both rural and urban academic settings with information to help reduce the risk of future stroke.”

This scientific statement was prepared by the volunteer writing group on behalf of the American Heart Association’s Emergency Neurovascular Care Committee of the Stroke Council and the Council on Peripheral Vascular Disease. The American Academy of Neurology affirms the value of this statement as an educational tool for neurologists, and it is endorsed by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurological Surgeons (AANS/CNS).

American Heart Association scientific statements promote greater awareness about cardiovascular diseases and stroke issues and help facilitate informed health care decisions. Scientific statements outline what is currently known about a topic and what areas need additional research. While scientific statements inform the development of guidelines, they do not make treatment recommendations. American Heart Association guidelines provide the Association’s official clinical practice recommendations.

Co-authors are Vice Chair Tracy E. Madsen, M.D., Ph.D.; Dawn M. Bravata, M.D.; Charles R. Wira, M.D.; S. Claiborne Johnston, M.D., Ph.D.; Susan Ashcraft, D.N.P.; Tamika Marquitta Burrus, M.D.; Peter David Panagos, M.D.; Max Wintermark, M.D., M.A.S.; and Charles Esenwa, M.D., M.S.

The Association receives funding primarily from individuals. Foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific Association programs and events. The Association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and biotech companies, device manufacturers and health insurance providers, and the Association’s overall financial information are available here.

Additional Resources:

JOURNAL

Stroke

DOI

10.1161/STR.0000000000000418 

ARTICLE TITLE

Diagnosis, Workup, Risk Reduction of Transient Ischemic Attack in the Emergency Department Setting: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

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