The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended two artificial intelligence (AI)-powered software tools for use in the NHS for stroke diagnosis.

The two softwares – e-Stroke and RapidAI – were selected after the health technology assessment agency found some evidence of faster and better access to treatment after using the software.

Currently the leading cause of disability, responsible for more than 100,000 cases in the UK every year, a stroke is a life-threatening medical condition that occurs when the blood supply to parts of the brain is cut off.

NICE advised that the software tools can be used within the NHS “while further evidence is generated to help better determine their cost-effectiveness”.

The institute also noted that some form of AI was deployed in 99 out of 107 stroke units in England.

e-Stroke, developed by Brainomix, was implemented in hundreds of hospitals in the UK, as well as in Europe, Asia and the US.

The software provides real-time interpretation of brain scans to specialist and non-specialist clinicians to guide treatment and transfer decisions for stroke patients.

Currently, the cost of the software’s licence for a comprehensive stroke centre is around £30,000 annually and around £15,000 per year for an acute stroke centre.

Ischemaview’s RapidAI platform also works to combine images and workflow to help doctors make faster triage or transfer decisions.

Averaging around £20,000 a year per centre, the platform has been rolled out across several NHS trusts, including University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.

NICE has also recommended ten additional AI software programmes that can only be used in research. These include Accipio, BioMind and Neuro Solution.

Further research is needed on these softwares to support the review and reporting of CT scans for people who have had a suspected stroke.

The recommendation builds on Brainomix and Visionable’s partnership, which focused on advancing the e-Stroke software for stroke care in November last year.

Previously trialled at Ipswich Hospital, Visionable’s digital healthcare collaboration platform and Brainomix’s e-Stroke platform outperformed national benchmarks on the number of patients assessed by a stroke consultant within 24 hours, at around 90% versus 80%.

https://www.pmlive.com/pharma_news/nice_recommends_two_ai_software_tools_for_stroke_diagnosis_in_nhs_1507306