Unlocking the Power of Blood Flow Data with AI

Diane Bryant

In the United States alone, 8 million people visit a hospital or clinic with suspicion of stroke each year. Time to treatment is the critical metric, and research has shown that the median time between the onset of symptoms and the start of treatment is 4.5 hours. Every hour of delay results in 11 months of healthy life lost.

NovaSignal Corp., a Los Angeles-based medical technology and data company specializing in assessing cerebral blood flow, recently launched the NovaGuide 2 Platform to help shorten this time frame.

Diane Bryant, CEO of NovaSignal, notes the ultrasound solution driven by artificial intelligence (AI) is the only one of that monitors the brain. The platform empowers clinical teams with critical, real-time information about cerebral blood flow to guide diagnosis and improve patient outcomes.

NovaGuide 2 Platform

Designed to seamlessly integrate into existing clinical practice, the platform includes the NovaGuide 2 Intelligent Ultrasound, which autonomously captures blood flow data to identify brain illnesses and disease, and NovaGuide View which provides secure, cloud-based access to dynamic exam data.

“The solution is unique in its ability to access cerebral blood flow through the temporal bone window of the skull, as well as assess the blood flow through the application of advanced algorithms,” Bryant says. “Through the NovaGuide View cloud-based app, the clinical team is alerted as to the results of the exam and provided all information, including dynamic blood flow video and audio, to enable diagnosis.”

Simplifying Stroke Assessment

Today, 77% of U.S. hospitals and clinics rely on subjective survey tools for stroke assessment, asking the patient to raise their arms and smile, looking for asymmetries, and asking them to speak to identify slurring. Of the 7,290 U.S. hospitals and clinics, only 1,690 hospitals are certified in stroke treatment, so many lack the ability to treat if they do suspect stroke.

Addressing the crisis created by the inability to rapidly and accurately diagnosis stroke, NovaSignal has a $6.2 billion market opportunity in the U.S. alone.

The original manual TCD solution—invented in 1985—is the only competitor.

“The fact that less than 10% of hospitals in the U.S. utilize TCD is testament to the difficulty of use, requiring a certified sonographer to operate the device,” Bryant says. “The robotic and AI-driven NovaGuide eliminates adoption barriers and democratizes TCD. As was stated by one of our Key Opinion Leaders (KOL), NovaGuide and the NovaGuide View app bring TCD and the diagnosis of stroke into the 21st century.”

There is no other system commercially available that addresses brain health with similar attributes of accuracy, cost efficiency, non-invasiveness, safety, and ease of use.Sixteen patents and over 130 presentations and publications reflect both the proprietary nature of the solution and the industry recognition of its value.

Usefulness in Surgery

The NovaGuide 2 Platform is currently in use by neurologists, cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, and radiologists.

“You will find our solution in neuro-intensive care units for the continuous monitoring of patients after an initial stroke,” Bryant says. “A third of all stroke victims will suffer a second stroke and 20% of all strokes occur while the patient is in the hospital. Today, in over 90% of U.S. hospitals, there is no means to monitor a patient. The NovaGuide platform addresses the void that existed in standard care.”

The platform is also being used in the operating room. Bryant explains that depending on the procedure, 17% of open-heart surgeries result in a life-disabling stroke, and 2% end in death from a stroke.

“NovaGuide is the only solution that provides a continuous view of blood flow in the brain during surgery,” she says. “We have many testimonials of our solution identifying a disruption in cerebral blood flow, alerting the surgical team, enabling rapid response and recovery.”

The solution also has clinically-proven accuracy for the detection of a Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO)—a right to left shunt due to a hole in the heart.According to the American Heart Association, PFO affects 25% of the population, a latent illness with potentially life-long impact.

“In addition to its accuracy, NovaGuide is the only solution that can determine the severity of the hole and hence the criticality of closure,” Bryant says.