Researchers Have Created A New Smartphone Software That Can Identify Symptoms Of Stroke In Real Time

Feb, 2023 - by CMI

According to preliminary study, the app developed may lessen the long-term consequences of a stroke and boost chances of full recovery.

To assist identify potential health issues, new technology in smartphone can catch heart abnormalities and listen coughs too. According to The Washington Post, it may soon capable to assist spot stroke symptoms.

Using machine learning algorithms, FAST AI is the app developed by researchers to detect the most frequent symptoms of stroke– speech change, weakness of arm, and facial asymmetry.

The preliminary research conducted by the neurologist suggest the app developed tends to lessen the long-time effects of stroke and increases the chance of complete recovery. The preliminary results are to be presented in the upcoming week at American Heart Association’s International Stroke Conference.

Stroke experts believe that such technology will boost awareness of stroke symptoms and motivate people to seek quick medical assistance.

"Our objective is straightforward. "We aim to find stroke from its start," stated by Radoslav I. Raychev, a vascular neurologist at the University of California, Los Angeles.

The app isn’t yet ready for widespread use, and is unclear to whom or when it tends to be made available. As per Raychev, the ultimate goal is to grow far ahead the app to another platforms or devices.

"We desire to have passive surveillance for recording the patient's symptoms as the stroke develops while someone is on video call, or when they're talking to" a virtual assistant like Alexa, or when they're driving an independent driving vehicle," he stated.

From July 2021 to July 2022, researchers tested roughly 270 individuals with an acute stroke diagnosis in 72 hours of admission in hospital at four large metropolitan centres of stroke.

The neurologists evaluated the app, who also inspected the patients, then they compared the results of FAST.AI to their findings. The smartphone software properly diagnosed facial asymmetry related to stroke in approximately 100% of patients, according to the research. Two-thirds of the time or more, the app correctly recognised arm weakness.

The preliminary results indicate that it is capable to recognise slurred speech reliably, however the slurred speech module has yet to be tested and verified, as per the researchers.