Acute ischaemic stroke, resulting from sudden blockage by a clot in a blood vessel in the brain, is a critical illness with high risks of death and disability. Computerised tomography (CT) brain scanning is undertaken early following symptom onset, to diagnose stroke type and determine a patient’s eligibility for therapy. However, patients do not always respond to treatment and are at high risk of deterioration from secondary complications (i.e. brain swelling and recurrent stroke). Standard care relies upon repeat CT scans at 24-hour intervals and intensive nursing observations within specialised stroke units. There is currently no method available to provide objective, continuous monitoring of both brain activity and blood flow, which are key indicators of stroke occurrence, patient deterioration and treatment outcome.
nuroflux™ was born out of seeing how blind the situation can be around stroke and engineers teaming up with clinicians and commercialisation experts to define, discover and deliver. We are developing a wearable medical device that utilises a proprietary multi-modal system to provide continuous monitoring of blood flow and electrical activity in the brain. This provides an opportunity for routine monitoring of patients with acute ischaemic stroke; to allow rapid detection and treatment of complications to improve outcome, and reduce the need for repeat CT scans which will lower radiation risk and financial costs.
