During Nicolab’s recent participation in the 2024 ESMINT Congress, several exciting developments and trends in neurovascular and emergency care were highlighted. These insights showcased emerging technologies, market trends, and new opportunities in stroke care and beyond—areas where Nicolab is proud to be actively contributing

Innovations in Stroke Workflow

One of the most notable breakthroughs discussed was a study from Barcelona on the use of teleproctoring for thrombectomy patients. Teleproctoring, where experienced specialists guide procedures remotely, was shown to significantly improve treatment times, particularly in less-experienced centers like Lleida. This underscores the importance of fostering collaboration between high-expertise and lower-experience hospitals to enhance stroke treatment during the acute phase. By enabling efficient triage and timely intervention, such partnerships can reduce treatment delays and improve patient outcomes. StrokeViewer is designed to provide rapid diagnosis and can deliver results to neurologists and radiologists in real time, allowing remote access.This helps streamline the decision-making process, ensuring that patients who are eligible for thrombectomy are treated as quickly as possible, which is crucial in stroke care.

Thrombectomy and Clot Retrieval

Thrombectomy continues to be a cornerstone of stroke treatment, and recent innovations could further improve its success rate. Balloon guide catheters have shown particular promise in cases with challenging anatomy, while dual-stent thrombectomy, although effective, remains a costly option. Enhancing preoperative knowledge of clot location and composition could help optimize both costs and outcomes. There is growing consensus that investing in advanced imaging technologies and AI solutions to better predict clot characteristics could be a cost-effective way to enhance thrombectomy procedures. StrokeViewer offers a comprehensive AI suite for the most common imaging modalities, streamlining stroke triaging and diagnosis with consistent speed and accuracy.

Exploring New Frontiers in Stroke Treatment

everal new areas in stroke treatment were explored at the congress:

• Distal Occlusions: A study of M2 occlusions found higher complication rates and poorer outcomes in more distal clots, with outcomes influenced by clot dominance.
• Mevo Occlusions: These smaller occlusions have a relatively high perforation rate (4.8%) and often lead to worse patient outcomes. Further research is needed, including randomized controlled trials, to determine optimal treatment strategies.
• Large Core Strokes: The TENSION study revealed that collateral circulation has minimal impact on treatment outcomes, suggesting that imaging should play a central role in guiding thrombectomy decisions. Outcomes for large-core infarcts are often more affected by edema than by infarct size itself, frequently requiring neurosurgical intervention.

With studies like TENSION showing that timely intervention in large-core strokes is critical, Nicolab’s fast imaging and triage solutions can help identify which patients would benefit most from treatments like thrombectomy or neurosurgical intervention. By offering precise imaging analysis, Nicolab helps guide clinical decisions for large infarctions, where timing and accuracy are paramount. Integrating fast, efficient imaging solutions into stroke workflows is critical to improving treatment decisions and patient outcomes.

Innovations in Brain Technology

Among the most intriguing developments was the progress in brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). One standout was the Synchron device, designed for patients with ALS. This revolutionary technology decodes speech from brain activity using Bluetooth-enabled devices implanted in the brain. While still in its early stages, this represents a bold step forward in neurotechnology, with vast potential implications for medical care.

Spotlight on Start-Ups and Industry Innovation

One notable trend at the congress was the focus on hardware innovations, while software solutions, such as Nicolab’s StrokeViewer, were less emphasized. This highlights an important gap in the market and underscores the need for software-driven advancements that can complement the hardware innovations shaping the field. Solutions like StrokeViewer, which streamline stroke diagnosis and enhance workflow efficiency, represent critical tools in neurovascular care and hold immense potential to drive future improvements in stroke treatment. Nicolab’s scalable, flexible technology can integrate new data sources and adapt to evolving treatment protocols, making it a future-proof solution that evolves alongside the latest clinical practices and technologies.

Conclusion

The 2024 ESMINT Congress underscored significant trends and innovations poised to transform stroke treatment and emergency care. Key themes included strengthening partnerships between healthcare providers, embracing new technologies, and advancing the frontiers of stroke treatment. Nicolab remains committed to driving innovation in stroke care, ensuring our products evolve in tandem with the latest industry developments. Staying informed and engaged with emerging trends is essential as we strive to improve outcomes for stroke patients worldwide.