Qure.ai is the latest technology partner to join Medtronic's initiative in advancing stroke care management in India. 

According to a press statement, their partnership aims to provide AI solutions to comprehensive stroke centres and primary stroke centres. They also seek to establish a hub-and-spoke network that will assist in faster identification, decision-making, and triaging of stroke patients.

Qure.ai offers AI solutions that help streamline the stroke care pathway. One of its flagship products, qER, delivers quick reading and interpretation of heart CT scans with a turnaround time of two minutes. This information is then stored on the Qure app, a mobile platform that can connect all multidisciplinary teams from different hospitals.

WHY IT MATTERS

Each year, almost two million people in India are affected by stroke. And with stroke, time is of the essence. According to Medtronic India, using AI tools can help reduce delays and gaps in the management of stroke care, from diagnosis to treatment.

THE LARGER TREND

Medtronic India has been partnering with health organisations to promote advanced stroke care management via a hub-and-spoke network to meet rising care demand. Through this model, a team of stroke experts in a "hub" uses AI to analyse CT scans done at a partner or "spoke" health facility, usually from rural locations, thereby delivering timely diagnosis and treatment to stroke patients. 

In February, it onboarded Zydus Hospitals-Ahmedabad to its initiative to support stroke patients in the western coastal state of Gujarat. Last year, Aster MIMS Hospital also joined the programme to support patients in Kerala.

ON THE RECORD

"We are thrilled to collaborate with Qure.ai to support surgeons in diagnosing and treating stroke by enabling quicker decision-making, streamlining data sharing between two hospitals, and improving efficiencies so that more stroke patients in India can be treated within the critical time window," Medtronic India president and managing director Michael Blackwell commented. 

"Partnering with Medtronic India, we will integrate Qure.ai's AI-powered neuro-critical solutions suite to detect and manage stroke more effectively. Our cutting-edge technology utilises advanced algorithms to analyse medical images so that healthcare providers can make informed decisions with improved diagnostic accuracy and speed. Our collaboration will also enhance operational efficiency in hospitals, optimising hub-spoke pathways. The partnership with Medtronic is another important pillar in our commitment to [utilising] the power of AI to enhance patient care and bring equitable healthcare to all," Qure.ai CEO and co-founder Prashant Warier also said in a comment.