Philips Begins Stroke Diagnosis, Treatment Trial in France, U.S.

The first patients in the U.S. and France were enrolled in the large-scale WE-TRUST clinical trial, which will evaluate when a Philips Direct to Angio Suite (DTAS) workflow can boost outcomes for early time-window stroke patients compared to where a diagnostic MR/CT scan if made before transfer into the angio suite.
 
The Bicêtre Hospital in Paris (AP-HP), France, has recruited the first French patient in the WE-TRUST trial. The Baptist Stroke & Cerebrovascular Center, a comprehensive stroke center in Jacksonville (Florida, USA), has successfully enrolled the first patient in the USA.
 
“Every second counts for acute stroke patients. It is critically important to act quickly and treat them as soon as possible for better results and a better quality of life,” Ricardo Hanel, MD, Ph.D., neurosurgeon, Director of the Baptist Neurological Institute, told the press. “By incorporating US patients into the WE-TRUST trial, we aim to help provide data and outcomes that will inform clinical workflows, that in turn (and more importantly), benefit patients across the globe.”
 
The first patient treated in France had a severe stroke and arrived directly at the hospital, going straight to the angio suite, where within half an hour, Dr Vanessa Chalumeau started the procedure to remove the blood clot in their brain. After the intervention, the patient’s condition improved significantly, according to the company.
 
“By using the direct-to-angio approach we were able to diagnose and treat this patient faster than conventional methods,” said Laurent Spelle, MD, Ph.D., interventional neuroradiologist and Chairman at NEURI Brain Vascular Center at Bicêtre Hospital. “Our goal is to find more effective and efficient ways to diagnose, treat, and manage stroke, ultimately enhancing the quality of life for patients. By joining WE-TRUST we can help build the clinical evidence for the Direct to Angio Suite (DTAS) workflow, a new treatment approach that has great potential to improve patient outcomes.”
 
The WE-TRUST (Workflow Optimization to Reduce Time to Endovascular Reperfusion for Ultra-fast Stroke Treatment) trial is investigating the clinical impact of the DTAS approach, which combines stroke diagnosis and treatment in a single angio suite session. Enabled by a cone-beam CT (CBCT) imaging tool already integrated into interventional angio suite systems such as Philips Image Guided Therapy System –  Azurion, the DTAS approach can potentially reduce the time to treatment for early time-window stroke patients (less than six hours after stroke onset).
 
“At Philips, we believe that implementing a Direct to Angio Suite workflow, where suspected stroke patients undergo diagnosis and treatment in a single room, holds the promise of saving critical minutes and preserving invaluable brain function,” said Dr. Atul Gupta, chief medical officer for Image Guided Therapy at Philips, who is also a practicing interventional radiologist. “While the outcomes of numerous single-center studies have already validated this belief, it is essential to conduct a multicenter clinical trial of the magnitude and scope of WE-TRUST to ascertain the DTAS approach as a benchmark in stroke care.”