May is National Stroke Awareness Month, and advancing technology is playing a vital role in treating stroke patients.That new technology includes artificial intelligence.Dr. Colin McDonald is an emergency neurologist for Novant Health. He deals with patients suffering from strokes every day.”Stroke is an incredibly common problem,” said McDonald. “Because so many common diseases lead to stroke.”A new, advanced technology is helping local doctors, like McDonald, recognize things like blockages and brain bleeding more quickly. It’s also giving them more access to scans taken at other network hospitals and doctor’s offices across the state.”The majority of our patients don’t begin their journeys in this big stroke center — they come to us from hundreds of miles away in small community hospitals throughout the Carolinas and Virginia,” said McDonald. “All of those have CT scanners, but until about two years ago, I had no access to those CT scanners.”However, that has now changed, thanks to an app called ‘VIZ.AI.'”The new technology is a phone -based technology that plugs me into literally every one of those CT scanners on the network,” said McDonald. “And allows me, instantly, to see an image of that patient’s brain — sometimes even two hours before I meet that patient face-to-face.”The technology has been a real game changer in the medical world, saving time and trouble for doctors everywhere.”It’s been the biggest game changer in stroke since video conferencing to help these hospitals at a distance,” McDonald said.The AI component of the app highlights any possible problematic scans.”This technology and these new therapies help us to perform the miraculous each and every day of the week,” McDonald said. “This would’ve been unheard of — all the successes we have each and every week here, without the benefits of the technology.”While McDonald says the AI component is extremely helpful, he does want to make it clear that ultimately, it’s a human doctor who will make the final assessment to determine how to properly care for and handle a stroke patient.
May is National Stroke Awareness Month, and advancing technology is playing a vital role in treating stroke patients.
That new technology includes artificial intelligence.
Dr. Colin McDonald is an emergency neurologist for Novant Health. He deals with patients suffering from strokes every day.
“Stroke is an incredibly common problem,” said McDonald. “Because so many common diseases lead to stroke.”
A new, advanced technology is helping local doctors, like McDonald, recognize things like blockages and brain bleeding more quickly. It’s also giving them more access to scans taken at other network hospitals and doctor’s offices across the state.
“The majority of our patients don’t begin their journeys in this big stroke center — they come to us from hundreds of miles away in small community hospitals throughout the Carolinas and Virginia,” said McDonald. “All of them had CT scanners, but until about two years ago, I had no access to those CT scanners.”
However, that has now changed, thanks to an app called ‘VIZ.AI.’
“The new technology is a phone-based technology that plugs me into literally every one of those CT scanners on the network,” said McDonald. “And allows me, instantly, to see an image of that patient’s brain — sometimes even two hours before I meet that patient face-to-face.”
The technology has been a real game changer in the medical world, saving time and trouble for doctors everywhere.
“It’s been the biggest game changer in stroke since video conferencing to help these hospitals at a distance,” McDonald said.
The AI component of the app highlights any possible problematic scans.
“This technology and these new therapies help us to perform the miraculous each and every day of the week,” McDonald said. “This would’ve been unheard of — all the successes we have each and every week here, without the benefits of the technology.”
While McDonald says the AI component is extremely helpful, he does want to make it clear that ultimately, it’s a human doctor who will make the final assessment to determine how to properly care for and handle a stroke patient.