Aster MIMS Kozhikode deploys Qure.ai’s AI-powered stroke care solution

New Delhi: Qure.ai, a leading artificial intelligence solution provider for medical imaging, has announced its newest deployment in Aster MIMS Hospital, Kozhikode, to enhance stroke care and diagnosis.

This collaboration introduces an innovative AI-powered Hub (Aster MIMS) & Spoke (periphery hospitals) model for timely diagnosis and better care coordination for stroke-suspected patients across its spoke sites.

The key innovation at the heart of this hub and spoke model is Qure.ai’s qER suite of solutions, an AI-enabled head CT solution deployed in conjunction with the Qure App care platform. Qure’s qER is capable of processing CT scans in less than three minutes, and the Qure app plays a crucial role in relaying real-time patient information and radiology images to multi-disciplinary teams at the hub site (Aster MIMS). This is especially crucial during suspected stroke cases, expediting life-saving interventions.

The Hub & Spoke model envisions resource-challenged spoke hospitals connected to a central hub hospital, optimizing healthcare infrastructure utilization and facilitating seamless care coordination. As part of this collaboration, Aster MIMS Calicut, the hub hospital, will be connected with 4 spoke hospitals located on the peripheries of Kozhikode. Aster MIMS anticipates treating an annual influx of approximately 1500 stroke patients across the network, including 600 patients from the connected spoke sites.

Dr. Ashraj V V, Sr. Consultant & Director at Aster Institute of Neurosciences, said, “Stroke is a major health concern for every individual irrespective of their age. The AI-powered Hub & Spoke model is a promising technology that ensures timely treatment for stroke patients. Qure.ai’s care coordination app facilitates effective collaboration between healthcare professionals across the Hub & Spoke network and helps in optimizing healthcare infrastructure.”

Dr. Abdurehiman KP, Sr. Consultant & Head of Neurology at Aster MIMS Calicut, said, “I’m very happy to be part of this newest deployment in Aster MIMS Hospital, Kozhikode, that advances stroke care and diagnosis. AI has upgraded many aspects of our lives, and healthcare is one of them. Qure.ai’s AI-enabled head CT solution helps in faster stroke diagnosis and their care coordination app significantly reduces the Turnaround Time (TAT) for interventions through real-time case notifications and alerts across the Hub & Spoke network.”

This initiative promises to revolutionize stroke care in resource-constrained settings by leveraging advanced medical imaging technology, enhancing the speed and accuracy of diagnosis, and facilitating effective collaboration between healthcare professionals across the Hub & Spoke network.

Highlighting the significance of the partnership, Prashant Warier, CEO & Co-Founder of Qure.ai, said, “Deploying our solutions at a super-speciality hospital like Aster MIMS, Kozhikode, is a stepping stone to making advanced healthcare accessible for some of India’s most remote locations. This model of deployment is a testament to AI’s potential for bridging the healthcare gap in India. This is a significant step towards battling the stroke care burden in India and a step closer to our vision of making healthcare accessible and affordable to everyone.”

qER, an advanced deep-learning software, screens head CT scans to identify intracranial haemorrhages and infarcts for prioritized clinical review, providing anatomical location identification and quantification, and ASPECTS scoring for stroke severity. qER also facilitates the identification of Large Vessel Occlusion on CT Angiography, aiding patient selection for Mechanical Thrombectomy, which would otherwise be delayed or missed. It offers a priority flag for critical cases, an overlay highlighting abnormal findings, and detailed reports quantifying abnormalities. qER is FDA, CE MDR cleared, with approval from multiple national regulators. The Qure App facilitates critical care coordination with timely alerts.