Arm Movement and the Detection of Stroke

Although for most people the brain accounts for only about 2% of total body weight, it receives 15% of cardiac output and accounts for 25% of the body’s oxygen consumption. Thus, the brain is actually drawing more oxygen out of the blood than other parts of the body do. It is an oxygen-hungry organ that controls every part of the body, and if that oxygen level drops, the rest of the body suffers. That’s why a stroke – an obstruction or leakage in blood vessels or arteries – can have devastating effects since brain cells begin to die within 3-4 minutes without oxygen.

A stroke victim can lose 2,000,000 brain cells every minute. This is why immediate action is critical. The Neuralert Stroke Detection Monitor detects strokes in hospitalized patients ten times faster than current standards of care because of our patented algorithm that uses arm asymmetry to constantly monitor the patient for possible signs of a stroke.

Strokes generally occur only on one side of the brain, and each side of the brain affects the opposite side of the body. As oxygen is denied to the brain cells, body functions weaken, and arm weakness is one of the most common early symptoms of a stroke. In fact, according to a study reported on the CDC website, 93% of stroke victims noticed sudden weakness or numbness, especially on one side.

Because virtually all stroke victims will experience some weakness on one side of the body, evaluating asymmetrical movement is the most effective method for determining possible stroke onset. This is especially true for ischemic strokes, which account for 87% of strokes and are almost always accompanied by noticeable weakness in one arm and drooping of the face on the same side. This difference in movement or strength is called asymmetry, and is one of the primary indicators of a stroke.

However, many things cause asymmetry, hand dominance, talking on a phone, eating, an IV line in one arm, etc. Other efforts to detect stroke using arm asymmetry have failed because of a high false alarm rate caused by these non-stroke causing asymmetry,

What makes Neuralert successful where others have failed is its patented, state-of-the-art algorithm developed by experts at the University of Pennsylvania. This algorithm is able to mathematically model out non-stroke based asymmetry with a high rate of specificity which means low false alarms rates. Thus, when your staff receives an alert from Neuralert, they know their patient needs immediate attention.

Timely delivery of life-saving stroke protocols due to early warning signs picked up by Neuralert can decrease length of stay, morbidity, and mortality, and avoid costly litigation. Partner with Neuralert to optimize your hospital’s response to in-hospital strokes.