Siemens Healthineers has deployed its first mobile stroke unit in the U.S., with an ambulance equipped with its own CT scanner.
Run by UCLA Health of Southern California, the specialized bus can respond to 911 calls alongside or instead of a standard ambulance, and perform a quick head scan on location to identify a blocked blood vessel or a dangerous brain bleed.
“The phrase ‘time is brain’ is used frequently when discussing stroke,” Matthew Dedman, head of CT at Siemens Healthineers North America, said in a statement. “This innovative CT solution will help stroke care teams improve access to care and reduce the critical time from symptom onset to diagnosis and treatment.”
The company said its Somatom On.site head-focused scanner can deliver image quality comparable to its larger, stationary CT hardware, along with a self-shielded, telescopic gantry and artificial intelligence programs to help speed up the process.
Stroke specialists can also help examine the patient remotely through a telemedicine network. At the same time, frontline responders can administer clot-busting drugs or manage blood pressure and anticoagulation in patients with a cerebral hemorrhage.
Siemens Healthineers estimates that a person in the U.S. has a stroke every 40 seconds, with fatal cases occurring about every three minutes. By enabling diagnoses in the field before reaching the hospital, the company said mobile stroke units can reduce average time-to-treatment by about 30 minutes.
“Advancements in mobile stroke imaging represent a significant step forward in pre-hospital stroke care,” said May Nour, medical director of the Arline and Henry Gluck Mobile Stroke Rescue Program at UCLA Health. “Our commitment to innovative approaches in emergency medicine aims to improve patient outcomes through rapid assessment and treatment when every minute counts.”
The Somatom On.site previously launched as a wheeled version that could be moved around a hospital for head exams as needed, even in intensive care units.