AI technology is now being used in NHS stroke units to diagnose strokes more than an hour faster than human doctors, significantly improving recovery chances.

Rapid diagnosis is critical because a stroke can cause the loss of about 2 million brain cells per minute, and delays can lead to severe disabilities or death.

Faster and more accurate diagnosis through AI reduces the time from hospital arrival to treatment from 140 minutes to just 79 minutes, greatly enhancing patient outcomes.

The AI system is set to be expanded to 107 stroke centres across England, impacting approximately 80,000 stroke patients annually.

Personal stories, like that of stroke survivor Shawn Theoff, demonstrate how rapid diagnosis and treatment enabled by AI can lead to quick recovery and avoid long-term issues.

Stroke remains the UK's fourth leading cause of death, claiming around 38,000 lives each year, but new technology offers hope for better management and outcomes.

Many strokes are preventable by managing risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, and atrial fibrillation.

Recent research presented at the European Society of Cardiology congress shows that living near noisy roads increases stroke risk by 12.4% for a 14.9 dB rise in traffic noise, due to stress and sleep disruption.

This highlights the importance of environmental factors in stroke risk and the need for public health measures to address noise pollution.

The implementation of this AI software has been credited with tripling the rate of full recovery from 16% to 48%.

A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked or bursts, causing oxygen deprivation and brain cell death, which can result in permanent physical and mental health issues.

Since last summer, this software has interpreted brain scans for over 60,000 patients across 100 NHS stroke clinics, helping to speed up diagnosis and treatment.