Dive Brief:

• Medtronic has struck a deal to accelerate adoption of Brainomix’s artificial intelligence-powered tool for assessing stroke patients.
• The agreement, which Brainomix disclosed Thursday, positions Medtronic to use its presence in Western Europe to support the rollout of the technology in the region.
• Medtronic has connections to hospitals and healthcare providers that treat stroke patients in the region through its distribution of devices, according to the announcement, such as its Solitaire clot retrieval devices.

Dive Insight:

The Brainomix 360 Stroke platform, formerly called e-Stroke, uses AI-derived algorithms to analyze CT brain scans. The algorithms detect acute ischemic stroke, locate large vessel blockages and assess the status of brain tissue. Brainomix created the algorithms to speed up decision making in stroke cases, enabling physicians to quickly identify the appropriate intervention and thereby improve health outcomes. 

Studies have generated evidence that Brainomix has achieved those goals. Last year, the U.K. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended Brainomix’s AI platform to help clinical decision making. The watchdog recommended three of the 13 AI tools that it evaluated. A software licence for a comprehensive stroke centre is around 30,000 pounds per year, the NICE report said.

Later, an analysis of 70,600 stroke patients in the U.K. provided further evidence of the benefits of the AI platform. The study linked the use of the algorithms to an increase in patients referred for mechanical thrombectomy, a procedure for removing clots. Almost two-thirds of clinicians said introducing the platform increased the identification of patients eligible for the treatment.

Medtronic sells mechanical thrombectomy products such as its Solitaire X revascularization device. Stroke was a highlight of Medtronic’s most recent quarterly financial results, when the company named hemorrhagic stroke products as a driver of growth at its neurovascular businesses outside of China.

The company has identified continued acceptance and growth of the Solitaire X revascularization device for treatment of acute ischemic stroke as a factor that will shape its neuroscience business going forward. 

The Brainomix agreement continues Medtronic’s push into AI. In November, the company partnered with Tempus to assess the use of AI to identify people who are eligible for interventions such as transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Medtronic competes with companies including Edwards Lifesciences for the TAVR market.