Smartphone app that could help identify stroke symptoms as they occur 

One person has a stroke every 40 seconds in the United States and one person every five minutes in the United Kingdom.

However, symptoms such as drooping on one side of the face, slurred speech, and inability to lift the arm are not easily recognizable in an emergency.

Now scientists have developed an app to help family and friends recognize that a stroke is happening and encourage them to call an ambulance.

Called FAST.AI, the app uses videos of a patient’s face to examine 69 points on the face, measure arm movements, and detect changes in speech.

A University of California team tested about 270 patients diagnosed with acute stroke within 72 hours of admission.

Neurologists who saw patients tested the app and compared the results with their own clinical diagnoses.

Analysis showed that the app accurately detected stroke-related facial drooping in nearly 100% of patients.

The app also accurately detected arm weakness in more than two-thirds of cases.

Immediate recognition of the signs of a stroke is important because thrombectomy drugs should be given within 3 hours of the onset of symptoms.

The sooner treatment is given, the better the chances of a better recovery.

According to the researchers, research is ongoing and the app is still in development and not open to the public.

Author Radoslav Raychev said, “Many stroke patients do not arrive at the hospital in time for treatment. This is one reason why it is essential to recognize stroke symptoms and call. [for help] straight away.

“These early results confirm that the app identified symptoms of acute stroke as accurately as neurologists, and will help improve the accuracy of the app in detecting stroke signs and symptoms.” .”

The findings were presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference in Dallas, Texas.