An injured brain needs to come under appropriate care as quickly as possible. Faster treatment leads to less brain damage and a faster recovery for the patient. Minutes of delay can make the difference between lifelong disablement and an independent life. The greatest challenge is to speed up the diagnostics process both pre-hospital and in hospital.
To accurately screen patients with suspected brain injury, such as stroke or due to trauma, and differentiate patients with severe injuries acutely requiring specialised care, would reduce both mortality and societal cost.
If equivalent testing could be done sooner, perhaps as early as on the way to the hospital, more lives could be saved. Two million brain cells die every minute at the beginning of a stroke. Applying tools for early diagnosis and treatment can in some cases save up to one hour, during which the patient otherwise would be more or less untreated.
About to become widely available
The Swedish medical technology company Medfield Diagnostics has dedicated ten years of research to the development of a new and patented technology for early diagnosis of brain injury.
The technology originates from research at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg. It is based on applying microwaves of the same type as those used in a cellphone and directing them to identify possible bleeding in the brain. The product has been developed, tried and tested in Sweden and several other countries in Europe and the rest of the world, and is now clinically approved with the next and final step to be CE-approved.
“Our most important goal is for the product to become widely available so that more patients can be diagnosed quickly, and the right care is provided without delay. This is what we have been striving and working so hard to achieve for almost a decade, and now we are almost there”, says Stefan Blomsterberg, Medfield Diagnostics CEO.
Works in almost any environment
The Strokefinder only weighs six kilograms and can be moved and carried easily. It is a highly mobile tool excellent for prehospital screening, either at the scene or in the ambulance. The product is battery powered and can be used in almost any environment, regardless of space availability. This makes it suitable for use onboard ships, planes and other transport.
“The great advantage is being able to take the equipment to the patient, and not the other way around. There has been no similar product on the market before, neither in Sweden nor globally. We are pioneers but the need is not new. Stroke is one of the most common causes of death in Sweden alone, and statistics show that many survivors suffer severe disabilities after a stroke. They are often left with complications such as altered motor skills and speech impediments. Faster diagnostics can change the prospects significantly”, states Stefan Blomsterberg.
Further testing is presently carried out in Gothenburg, London and Australia. The much longed-for outcome will be a fully approved CE-product available worldwide.
