A Swedish company, Medfield Diagnostics, has developed a cap which is lined with antennae that sends mobile phone-type microwaves through the scalp.
The device, called Strokefinder, is placed on the patient's head where it examines the brain tissue by using microwaves. The signals are interpreted by the system to determine if the stroke is caused by a blood clot or bleeding.
Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, Sahlgrenska Academy and Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden, conducted a trial on 45 patients. The trial revealed that the Strokefinder achieves great certainty in its findings, the Engineering in Medicine & Biology Societys journal reported.
"The results of this study show that we will be able to increase the number of stroke patients who receive optimal treatment when the instrument makes a diagnosis already in the ambulance," says Mikael Persson, professor of biomedical engineering at Chalmers University of Technology. "The possibility to rule out bleeding already in the ambulance is a major achievement that will be of great benefit in acute stroke care. Equally exciting is the potential application in trauma care."
The initial patient studies have been performed inside hospitals, and this autumn, the research groups at Chalmers and Sahlgrenska Academy will test a mobile stroke helmet on patients in ambulances.
"Our goal with Strokefinder is to diagnose and initiate treatment of stroke patients already in the ambulance," says Mikael Elam, professor of clinical neurophysiology at Sahlgrenska University Hospital. "Since time is a critical factor for stroke treatment, the use of the instrument leads to patients suffering less extensive injury. This in turn can shorten the length of stay at hospitals and reduce the need for rehabilitation, thus providing a number of other positive consequences for both the patient and the health care system."
Professor Elam said the microwaves generated were 100 times weaker than those produced by a mobile phone and lasted only a few seconds, meaning the cap was safe. Larger studies are planned and the Strokefinder cap will be approved for sale in Europe later this year.
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High tech cap that can detect strokes within seconds