Researchers from Amsterdam University Medical Centers developed a brain-wave cap to effectively diagnose large ischemic strokes in ambulances, enabling quicker and more accurate treatment.
The cap conducts an EEG in the ambulance to determine the stroke type and size, which dictates the treatment – blood thinners for small strokes and mechanical clot removal in specialized hospitals for large ones.
Researchers assessed this device in the ELECTRA-STROKE study, conducted in the prehospital setting between August 2020 and September 2022. Their main goal was to find out the diagnostic accuracy of dry electrode electroencephalography (EEG), for detecting large vessel occlusion stroke (LVO-a stroke) in patients with suspected stroke. Results showed that the diagnostic accuracy of the theta/alpha frequency ratio for LVO-a stroke, had an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.80 (95% CI 0.58-1.00).
Researchers created a spin-off company, TrianecT, to bring the product to market.
Ref: Prehospital Detection of Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke With Electroencephalography: Results of the ELECTRA-STROKE Study. Maritta N van Stigt, Eva A Groenendijk, Laura C Van Meenen, Anita van de Munckhof, Monique Theunissen, Gaby Franschman, Martin D Smeekes, Joffry A van Grondelle, Geertje Geuzebroek, Arjen Siegers, Marieke C Visser, Sander M van Schaik, Patricia H.A. Halkes, Charles B Majoie, Yvo B.W.M. Roos, Johannes H Koelman, Miou S Koopman, Henk Marquering, Wouter V Potters, Jonathan M. Coutinho Neurology Oct 2023, DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000207831
Technology used and assessed: dry electrode encephalography