AI is making waves in the medical world, and is helping to not only diagnose but prevent diseases and other health issues from occurring. One of the things that is happening is that AI is being used to simulate clinical trials in order to assess what results might look like so that preventative treatments can be developed in advance. One of the models is being used to create treatments for stroke prevention, and it is proving to be a major game changer in this area.
In this article, we will take a closer look at how this is happening, and the ways in which these models are affecting diagnostics and the approaches that healthcare professionals are taking towards stroke prevention. First, though, we will look at AI models in general and describe how they function.
The rate of strokes is increasing, there’s no question about it. The numbers make it clear: the percentage of people who have been suffering from strokes in the US has risen by more than 10% since 2011. As a society, we cannot continue to ignore these risks.
AI modeling for medical problems
Before we get to the specifics of how AI modeling works for potential stroke victims, it pays to look at how they work in general. What AI modeling does is collect huge amounts of data from millions of patients, and it “de-identifies” them. In other words, the medical information is separated from the data of the patients themselves, and it is put into an analytical framework.
Medical models function in a similar way to the way that generative AI does. In addition to incorporating patient information, models also include information from health plans, doctors, and other relevant sources.
One of the leading institutions in the use of AI modeling for different medical procedures is Miami Clinical Research. The professionals there are at the forefront of many of these groundbreaking procedures, and they are paving the way for the larger medical establishment to standardize these valuable procedures.
Models for potential stroke victims
The purpose of creating a model for stroke victims in particular is to provide estimated results for different types of therapies in advance of actually giving them, and determine what the results of each of them would be, depending on different types of patient characteristics. These methods will not only help to prevent problems, they will save the healthcare industry potentially up to $150 billion in the next couple of years.
Strokes are caused when blood flow to the brain is suddenly blocked or stopped, which causes cells to either become damaged or die entirely. Some people are at a particular risk for strokes. For example, destructive lifestyles can put people into the higher risk category. People who have high blood pressure, who smoke, don’t eat well, or drink too much have a higher than average risk for suffering from strokes.
The effects of strokes can be devastating. Although effects can vary widely from person to person, and some people recover more quickly than others, strokes can often affect people for life and cause people to spend the rest of their lives dealing with the consequences.
The degree of impact of any given stroke depends on the part of the brain that gets damaged, and how much damage occurred. The most common problems include:
- Impaired speech and physical problems with movement.
- Becoming weak on one side of the body and sometimes suffering partial paralysis
- Becoming slower at communicating in general.
- Having difficulty holding on to items
There can be other long- or short-term physical effects, as well, which is why it is important to take into consideration the larger history of many different stroke victims.
The amount of damage and the speed at which people recover from strokes can also vary considerably. For some people, it can take months or even years to recover, and extensive physical therapy might be necessary.
Risk factors that put people in danger
There are also people who have health conditions that can put them at greater risk for suffering from strokes. People who have high cholesterol or diabetes are at risk. Also, there are a variety of heart conditions that can put people into the high-risk group: cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea, and atrial fibrillation can be among the things that endanger people. Doctors are also starting to discover that some people who have had Covid-19 may be at a higher risk level, as well.
In addition, there are factors that put certain people into an automatically higher risk group – regardless of lifestyle or personal health habits – such as age, gender (strokes are more common among women than men, to the amount of about 55,000 more per year), and a family history of strokes.
All of these factors play a role in the simulative model. Models take information from people that have had strokes, the types of treatments that these people have undergone, and the different degrees of success that the various combination of risk factors and treatment types have had in determining likely future results.
The importance of AI in modeling
The reason that the use of AI is critical in obtaining results is because the volumes of information used are far beyond that, which people could analyze themselves. Both the amount of information and the algorithms used in analyzing it far exceeds human capacity in its sophistication. This is what makes these tools so valuable for the medical industry as a whole.
Model for the future
One of the most exciting aspects of models like this is that researchers hope doctors will be able to use them in the future to match patient characteristics with potentially effective preventative treatments precisely. In other words, medical professionals will be able to produce a “digital twin” for any given patient, and the past history of patients with nearly identical characteristics will be able to indicate what that person will require to effectively ward off the possibility of stroke.
Researchers are hoping that this modeling will become standardized and publicly accepted to the point where they will be used widely. They are also hoping that national regulatory bodies will recognize these AI-driven tools as an acceptable system for healthcare professionals to use nationwide.
If you think you might be at risk, act preventatively
These types of procedures are proving to revolutionize preventative methods of treating potential stroke victims. If you or someone you know thinks that you might be at a particularly high risk of suffering a stroke, you should check out these AI models and see where you stand. A change of lifestyle or taking preventative measures early could save you from what might otherwise be a completely debilitating experience. Similarly, if you have a family history of some other type of serious health problem, AI modeling might help you. Have a consultation with an expert and see if you might be able to receive advice now.
