Zydus Hospitals in Ahmedabad and Medtronic India have tied up to launch an AI-enabled hub-and-spoke network to support stroke patients in the western coastal state of Gujarat. 

An initiative of the pharmaceutical giant Zydus Group, the multispecialty hospital chain has locations across Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. Its Ahmedabad branch runs two hospitals – a super speciality centre and a primary hospital – with over 660 beds.

HOW IT WORKS

According to a press release, Zydus and Medtronic will leverage locally developed AI technologies to deliver timely diagnosis and treatment to stroke patients living in rural communities. With an AI capability, a team of stroke experts at Zydus will help analyse the CT scan done at a partner or spoke hospital, supporting doctors there in making decisions about treatment. 

The partners will also provide tools and technology to help upskill doctors in stroke treatment in select remote hospitals.

WHY IT MATTERS

Each year, about two million people in India suffer from stroke. "In stroke, the most important course of treatment is to remove the block in the brain as soon as possible – and [it] must be done within 24 hours from the onset of symptoms. The turnaround time is crucial in such a situation, and AI-driven technology helps clinicians to fast-track the next steps of treatment addressing critical patient diagnosis," Dr Ajit Sowani, a senior neurologist at Zydus, explained. 

Zydus noted that patients living in major cities have a better chance of getting treated for stroke than those living in rural settings where there is a lack of resources and capability. Not only will the launch of the peripheral stroke centres "bridge the care gap," as per Dr Arvind Sharma, a senior stroke neurologist at Zydus, but it will also "enhance the survivability of our patients," said Dr V.N. Shah, a senior Zydus endocrinologist. 

"Timely diagnosis of the disorders with the use of AI even when you are miles away from the specialist hospital can be a lifesaver, enabling guided treatment to start immediately under expert supervision," added Dr Kalpesh Shah, a neurosurgeon and senior consultant at Zydus. 

THE LARGER TREND

Medtronic India has been partnering with hospitals to transform stroke care by establishing a hub-and-spoke network model. In October last year, it started collaborating with Aster MIMS Hospital to set up a similar AI-powered stroke care network around Calicut. 

"We’ve been consistently partnering with hospitals across India to advance our vision of transforming stroke care for patients in India. Through these collaborations, together we are able to integrate technology to address local healthcare barriers across the care continuum," said Medtronic India VP Michael Blackwell.

Meanwhile, the private Nanavati Max Hospital also launched its own hub-and-spoke stroke care network in Mumbai in 2021, powered by the RapidAI software.