Finger-prick blood tests which quickly detect the deadliest type of stroke could save lives
A finger-prick blood test to diagnose the deadliest form of stroke might be twice as effective at spotting it than using a patient's symptoms alone.
The test, which works similarly to a lateral flow test used to detect Covid, is being piloted by ambulance crews in Cambridgeshire.
The blood tests have been designed to detect if someone has suffered a large vessel occlusion (LVO), where a blood clot blocks a major artery in the brain.
This type of blood clot is responsible for about a third of strokes but causes about 95 per cent of disabilities and deaths.
A stroke is a very serious condition where the blood supply to part of your brain is cut off, and every minute a stroke is left untreated some 1.9 million brain cells die, increasing the risk of serious long-term disability and death, according to the Stroke Association.
But speedy treatment for a stroke can dramatically increase a patient's chances of recovery. This includes a thrombectomy procedure to remove the blood clot within a few hours of any symptoms appearing.
However, only 24 hospitals in the UK can provide thrombectomy treatment, and LVO is tricky to diagnose without a brain scan because it has similar symptoms to other conditions.
Due to a combination of NHS pressures and workforce shortages, these timeframes are often missed and only 3.9 per cent of eligible stroke patients had a thrombectomy in 2023/24 - against NHS England's target of 10 per cent by 2027/28.
In addition, only 46 per cent were admitted to a stroke unit within four hours of arriving at a hospital, which further reduces the treatment window and the patient's chances of recovery, the Stroke Association added.
As a result, unless a patient is lucky enough to live near a specialist centre, in most cases they will be taken to a general hospital. From there, it can take an average of three hours to be moved to a thrombectomy centre. However, these new finger-prick blood tests help diagnose LVOs faster and get patients the treatment they need.
The test, developed by the Cambridge-based firm UpFront Diagnostics, consists of two lateral flow cartridges and can detect two molecules in the blood.
One is a protein called D-dimer, which is associated with blood clots, and the other, called GFAP, is associated with bleeding in the brain. The absence of GFAP helps to rule out a haemorrhagic stroke where a blood vessel ruptures and bleeds, The Guardian reported.
These tests can detect LVOs with about 90 per cent accuracy within 15 minutes — which is more than double the accuracy of just checking symptoms, Gonzalo Ladreda, UpFront's chief executive officer, told the newspaper.
Dr Louise Flanagan, the head of research for the Stroke Association, which helps fund the early development of the LVOne test, told The Independent: 'When the NHS is under huge pressure and its workforce is in crisis, a simple finger prick test to help diagnose stroke could be revolutionary.
'The LVOne test could potentially diagnose stroke faster and much more affordably than the only current alternative, which is a brain scan. It could also help to identify the type of stroke a person is having, which is vital to ensure the right treatment is given.
'LVOne could help make it easier to decide whether someone is having a stroke that could be treated with a thrombectomy, saving the NHS time and money and, importantly, helping more people live well after stroke.'
The Stroke Association is calling for improvements in stroke care as part of the 10 Year Health Plan — to help meet the government's own target to reduce stroke disability and death by 25 per cent by 2035.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "This government is taking action to tackle the biggest killers like heart disease and strokes.
"We have introduced health checks in workplaces and blood pressure checks on high streets to help catch illness earlier, and we are acting to prevent strokes in the first place by tackling smoking and obesity.
"We are committed to improving stroke prevention, treatment, and recovery through our 10-Year Health Plan, which will emphasise prevention and make better use of innovative technology like prehospital video triage (PVT) as we shift the NHS from analogue to digital."
There are 1.3 million stroke survivors in the UK, and 100,000 people have strokes every year. But 90 per cent of these are preventable, the charity said. Lifestyle factors such as obesity, smoking, alcohol intake and exercise levels can have a significant effect on a person's stroke risk.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Local businesses, organizations come together to host tornado relief event
Several local businesses and organizations came together at the Laurel-London Optimist Club June 1 to provide free items to tornado-affected residents of Laurel County. The "London Community Tornado Relief Event" was made possible by David Byrd of All American Events, Melanie Hester of American Scrub Company and Kaitlyn Floyd on her own behalf. Hester said the goal of the event was to "bring joy to the kids and families in the community." "With all the heartbreak right now, I just think this is so needed," Floyd added. At her booth, Floyd sold t-shirts made by Harlan-based business Shirt Shack Screen Printing. Funds raised by the t-shirt sales will go toward supporting families impacted by the May 16 tornado. Floyd said Martin's Peterbilt is matching the amount raised, doubling the profit. Raffles additionally took place with donations from businesses in the community. Also among those hosting booths were Hoss Auto Sales and Family Health Care Associates who collaborated to provide an array of items needed by those affected at this time including tarps, toiletries, basic hygiene products, snacks, beverages, and pet food. Working the booth were Vanessa Watson and Faith Vaught with Family Health Care Associates, as well as Steve and Kaylee Watson with the auto shop. Alesha Staley was present on behalf of Second Mile Behavioral Health to send the message that their therapists can help tornado survivors with the trauma they may have from the recent storm. "Our therapists stay pretty booked but when the tornado hit and we knew there would likely be an increase in needs, they started opening up more availability," said Staley. Reach the mental health service at (606) 657-5504. Southern Sips & Sweets, Kendra's Shaved Ice, and the Mom and Daughter Shop provided cool treats on the warm day. While the Mom and Daughter Shop no longer has a home, owner BJ Cromer is selling ice-cream to raise funds for her grandson, Liam Brown, who has cancer. At the event however, Cromer gave out free ice cream while accepting donations toward Liam. Additional booths included the North Laurel Middle School's girls basketball team, the U.S. Army, McDonald's, Love at First Bite, Somerset Community College, and Senture. Children at the event gravitated to the inflatables provided by All American Events, a local service ran by Byrd and Austin Schaser which handles inflatable rentals. Us and Sometimes Joe, a band made up of London natives, also performed as community members visited booths. The event served as a testament to the community's resilience.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Spending review could mean cuts in Wales
Some public services are likely to face cuts if the NHS swallows extra funding announced for Wales in Chancellor Rachel Reeves's spending review, experts have said. There is a warning that "tough choices loom", even though the budget is expected to grow over the next three years. Labour said it was investing in public services by boosting the Welsh government's budget. But Plaid Cymru accused Wales' First Minister Eluned Morgan of "asking for very little and getting exactly that". The Welsh government can raise taxes, but most of what it spends comes in a grant from the Treasury. Its funding will be £22.4bn a year on average over the next three years as a result of the spending review. Key points at a glance from the Spending Review New stations in £445m 10-year Wales rail plan Reeves boosts NHS and housing as some budgets squeezed The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), an independent think tank, said funding for the day-to-day running of public services would grow about 1.2% above inflation. "While an increase overall, that will likely require tough choices and indeed real terms cuts for some services," the IFS's David Phillips said. "Increases in funding for the Welsh NHS could easily absorb most, if not all, of this increase." He said Welsh Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford will "have to decide carefully which areas to prioritise and which to cut back". About half the Welsh government's budget is already spent on healthcare. Waiting times for hospital treatment have risen to record highs in recent years. On Wednesday, the chancellor announced a real-terms increase of 3% to day-to-day funding for the NHS in England. That will result in extra funding for Welsh ministers to spend as they wish. However, Guto Ifan from the Wales Governance Centre warned: "If the Welsh government decided to transfer that money to the health service in Wales, which would still be below the historical growth in health spending, it would mean difficult settlements for everything else in the budget. "I would imagine that the Welsh government would have to make cuts to services outside health under this settlement." Reeves' spending review reveals how much funding will be available after next May's Senedd election. She also announced £445m for new rail projects in Wales, following years of complaints that Wales has not had a fair share of spending. She backed plans for five new stations in Cardiff, Newport and Monmouthshire, and rail upgrades in north Wales. First Minister Eluned Morgan said: "Wales will see significant extra investment in rail infrastructure, coal tips safety and Welsh communities will see real benefits that improve lives and create opportunities." Treasury minister Torsten Bell said there would be "record levels of spending happening in the Welsh government" and said previous Conservative governments "consistently let down Wales" on capital spending which pays for infrastructure. Opponents said the cash fell short of what Wales needed and criticised a ten-year timeline for the scheme - Labour sources said most of the cash would be spent much sooner. Plaid Cymru finance spokesperson, Heledd Fychan, said: "Public services, already teetering on the brink in Wales under Labour face further cuts as a consequence of Labour's First Minister asking for very little and getting exactly that." Welsh Conservative Senedd leader Darren Millar said the amount of rail funding was "shameful". "Today's rail spending announcement is an insult to the people of Wales," he added.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Montana Supreme Court strikes down trio of abortion bills as unconstitutional
In this photo illustration, packages of Mifepristone tablets are displayed at a family planning clinic on April 13, 2023 in Rockville, Maryland. A Massachusetts appeals court temporarily blocked a Texas-based federal judge's ruling that suspended the FDA's approval of the abortion drug Mifepristone, which is part of a two-drug regimen to induce an abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy in combination with the drug Misoprostol. (Photo illustration by) A trio of abortion-related bills, passed in 2021, were declared unconstitutional by a nearly unanimous Montana Supreme Court on Monday. Nearly, because Justice Jim Rice wrote both a concurring and dissenting opinion affirming again Montana's constitutionally protected right-to-privacy, which includes medical procedures and abortion. The laws were halted before they could even be practically enacted, so the hurdles to the procedure, including waiting periods, mandatory ultrasound, a pile of documentation and banning abortion after 20 weeks, even before the point of fetal viability, never rippled throughout the state. Justice Beth Baker wrote the opinion on behalf of the court, which not only reaffirmed the state Constitution's right-to-privacy as unique and separate from federal cases on abortion, but also took the state to task for failing to support its claim that the State of Montana had a compelling interest in abortion, while not proving that any of the legislative hurdles were scientifically supported. The lawsuit was brought by Planned Parenthood of Montana, and had a handful of other entities that wrote friends-of-the-court briefs, including a group of delegates to the 1972 Montana Constitutional Convention. The three laws that were challenged were House Bill 136, House Bill 140 and House Bill 171: HB 136 would have banned abortion at 20 weeks, even though expert opinion agreed that fetal viability is not possible until at least 22 weeks. HB 171 would have put paperwork and more requirements for healthcare providers who provide abortion via medication or telehealth, subjecting them to both civil and criminal penalties. HB 180 would have required healthcare professionals to provide both ultrasound and fetal heartbeat tones to those considering abortion, and requiring a patient to sign a form created by the state, demonstrating that the patient had been offered the choice, and yet declined. Because fetal viability — or the concept a child can survive outside the womb — is dictated by a host of factors, including medical science and approximate age of the fetus, the court rejected the state's attempts to prescribe a fixed number of weeks for viability. 'A fixed gestational age that does not allow a provider's case-specific determination fails to ensure that the government does not interfere with an individual's private medical decision,' the ruling said. 'Until a fetus is viable and able to survive outside the womb, the right of personal autonomy belongs to the person on whose body the fetus depends. 'We find no legal authority for the idea that the state's interest in preserving fetal life or the fetus' right to life takes precedence over all constitutional protections and dignities of the mother.' Attorneys for the state had argued that physical safety risks of abortion increase as the pregnancy progresses, and that abortions lead to worse mental health outcomes, an argument that the Supreme Court dismissed and debunked. 'The record shows that abortion is safe,' the decision said. 'As the district court noted, there were zero deaths cause by abortion in Montana between 2010 and 2020 and only 25 of 8,402 (0.3%) reported abortions in Montana from 2016 to 2021 resulted in complications. This court cannot find a bona fide health risk simply based on a detailed step-by-step description of what the state defines as 'barbaric' and 'gruesome' procedure when the overwhelming evidence shows that procedural abortions are safe.' The ruling also said if the state wanted to address health outcomes or mental health issues, banning abortion was not the least restrictive way to do it. The court also pointed out waiting-periods and requiring multiple in-person visits, as outlined by HB 171, actually increased the odds of harm or complications, instead of avoiding them. 'The record demonstrates that compliance with the 24-hour wait period, the multiple in-person visits, and the telehealth ban serve only to delay access to abortion care — thus increasing the odds that the patient will not be able to obtain an abortion or increasing the odds of the very complications this state asserts it wishes to protect against,' the opinion said. The ruling also said in addition to violating the state's constitutional provisions for privacy, it also impacted physician's free-speech rights by requiring them to provide forms and documents, for example, information about a disputed abortion reversal procedure, that have not been medically verified or supported. They said HB 171 compelled healthcare professionals to give advice contrary to their training and conscience. Physicians and experts also raised concerns about the state's assertion abortion led to other health care concerns, for example, an increase in breast cancer, which has never been scientifically established. 'Forcing medical providers to give medical advice that they disagree with — like the safety and efficacy of abortion reversal — is a form of compelled-speech triggering protections,' the ruling said. '(Planned Parenthood) asserts that patients may mistakenly understand the consent form to indicate DPHHS's and their provider's approval of abortion reversal.' The ruling calls such compelled speech egregious because it 'favors one viewpoint over another — namely, the viewpoint that abortion reversal is safe and possible over the judgements and viewpoints of providers that it is unsafe, ineffective and undermines informed consent.' The court noted the state does not mandate documentation or consent that requires medical providers to discuss the risk of carrying a pregnancy to term. Finally, the court also called into question the real purpose of HB 140, which mandates ultrasounds and fetal heart tones before an abortion, something that providers said either happens during the course of pregnancy, but may not be medically necessary. 'The court stated it was 'left with the strong impression that the law aims to advance the ulterior motive of discouraging abortion,' which is unacceptable under the law,' the ruling said. Montana's highest court found that in the case of HB 140, it was exactly substituting the judgment of the state, and the lawmakers who supported it, with the views of the doctor. 'The court's decision further protects what Montanans need and deserve: Legal access to compassionate, timely abortion care, free from government interference. At the same moment as this win for Montanans, anti-abortion politicians continue to threaten to decimate access to care by 'defunding' Planned Parenthood via the reconciliation bill before Congress, in an effort to shut down health centers who provide abortion and other reproductive care. Montanans agree that abortion should remain legal and accessible, and Planned Parenthood of Montana will always do whatever we can to ensure that patients in Montana have access to abortion care,' said Martha Fuller, president and CEO of Montana Planned Parenthood, after the ruling in a statement. The case was active for several years of litigation, and had district court Judge Amy Eddy sitting in place of former Chief Justice Mike McGrath, who retired at the end of 2024, as well as Judge Shane Vannatta, who was sitting in for Dirk Sandefur, who also retired. McGrath has since been replaced by Chief Justice Cory Swanson, and Sandefur was succeeded by Justice Katherine Bidegaray.
