Researchers Develop a ‘Game-Changing’ Blood Test for Stroke Detection in the Field: ‘Truly Transformative’

Ghoti Ichthus · May 20, 2024

Researchers Develop a ‘Game-Changing’ Blood Test for Stroke Detection in the Field: ‘Truly Transformative’

By Good News Network
May 19, 2024

"Stroke is the top cause of disability worldwide—and the second leading cause of death—but the good news is that early intervention can prevent severe consequences, and a new tool could be a game-changer.
Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital developed a new test by combining blood-based biomarkers with a clinical score to identify patients experiencing large vessel occlusion strokes (LVO) with high accuracy.
“We have developed a game-changing, accessible tool that could help ensure that more people suffering from stroke are in the right place at the right time to receive critical, life-restoring care,” said Joshua Bernstock, MD, PhD, a clinical fellow in the Department of Neurosurgery at the Boston hospital.
Most strokes are ischemic, in which blood flow to the brain is obstructed. LVO strokes are an aggressive type of ischemic stroke that occurs when an obstruction occurs in a major artery in the brain.
When blood supply to the brain is compromised, the lack of oxygen causes brain cells to die within minutes, making LVO strokes a major medical emergency requiring swift treatment with mechanical thrombectomy—a surgical procedure that retrieves the blockage.
“Mechanical thrombectomy has allowed people, that otherwise would have died or become significantly disabled, to be completely restored, as if their stroke never happened,” explained Dr. Bernstock.
But brain bleeds cause similar symptoms to LVO stroke—yet treatment for each is vastly different. The new test makes it easy to distinguish one from the other while diagnosing in the field. Here’s how they did it:"

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