Stroke is the leading cause of disability
Globally, 1 in 4 adults over the age of 25 will have a stroke in their lifetime [1], and data show that 1 in 200 people are stroke survivors, making acute stroke the second leading cause of death and a leading cause of serious long-term disability [2]. Currently, when a possible stroke patient arrives at the emergency department, they typically first undergo a CT or MRI exam and, in the case of an ischemic stroke, are then treated in an interventional suite. Outcomes for stroke patients are closely tied to how quickly they receive treatment: every 30 minutes’ delay before treatment reduces the chance of a good outcome by 14% [3], and every hour of delay ages the brain by 3.6 years compared to a normally aging brain [4]. Various single-center studies have already shown that a Direct to Angio Suite workflow can result in time-savings up to 54 minutes with improved patient outcomes after 90 days [5].