Philips’ Direct-to-Angio Stroke Pathway Saves ~$3K Average Cost

Philips announced results of a health economic analysis published in the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery (JNIS) showing an innovative approach to the stroke care pathway lowered costs by an average €2,848 ($3,120) per patient.
 
The retrospective analysis examined datafrom the ANGIOCAT clinical trial conducted at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital Stroke Unit in Barcelona, Spain. Earlier study results demonstrated a “Direct-to-Angio-Suite” (DTAS) pathway improves outcomes for stroke patients.
 
“The ANGIOCAT clinical study has already shown that bringing stroke patients directly to the angio suite improves patient outcomes. The economic analysis of the data now tells us we can also significantly reduce costs,” Dr. Manuel Requena, Stroke and Interventional Neurologist, University Hospital Vall d’Hebron, told the press. “This indicates that the initial up-front investment of a direct-to-angio suite workflow will result in a fast return on investment for healthcare providers.”
 
Using cone-beam CT imaging like that built into Philips Image Guided Therapy System – Azurion, clinicians can make a diagnosis and intervene on-the-spot. The health economics analysis indicates a positive return on investing in a dedicated angio suite can be achieved in only a few years.
 
Philips has increased the diagnostic confidence of CBCT from 32% to 93% in the space of a few years^1,2,3. This tech can rule out intracranial hemorrhages and identify large vessel occlusions (LVOs), which account for roughly a quarter to a half of acute ischemic strokes⁴. Patients diagnosed with an LVO can then be immediately operated on using a minimally invasive image-guided procedure known as a mechanical thrombectomy to open up the blocked artery causing their stroke.
 
References
¹ Nicholson P, Cancelliere NM, Bracken J, et al. Novel flat-panel cone-beam CT compared to multi-detector CT for assessment of acute ischemic stroke: A prospective study. Eur J Radiol. 2021 May;138:109645. doi: 10.1016/j.ejrad.2021.109645. Epub 2021 Mar 10. PMID: 33725654.
² Cancelliere NM, Hummel E, van Nijnatten F, et al. The butterfly effect: improving brain cone-beam CT image artifacts for stroke assessment using a novel dual-axis trajectory. J Neurointerv Surg. 2023 Mar;15(3):283-287. doi: 10.1136/neurintsurg-2021-018553. Epub 2022 Apr 27. PMID: 35478176; PMCID: PMC9985729.
³ Cancelliere NM, van Nijnatten F, Hummel E, et al. Motion artifact correction for cone beam CT stroke imaging: a prospective series. J Neurointerv Surg. 2022 Dec 23:neurintsurg-2021-018201. doi: 10.1136/jnis-2021-018201. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36564201.
⁴ World Stroke Organization (WSO): Global Stroke Fact Sheet 2022 (https://www.world-stroke.org/assets/downloads/WSO_Global_Stroke_Fact_Sheet.pdf)