The early symptoms of a stroke may seem minor at first.For Dr. Amar Dhand, that's a major problem."People tend to shrug it off," said Dhand, a neurologist at Mass General Brigham.Their decision can be deadly.Strokes are medical emergencies at every stage, including when the symptoms appear minor.In the United States, they happen once every 40 seconds, and someone dies once every three minutes."The sad part is, we've actually solved the treatment problem quite well in stroke," Dhand said. "We have medications you can get through veins that actually go in and break open the clots."But to work, the patient needs to receive drugs within the first three hours after symptoms start.Dhand said as many as 90% of stroke victims wait too long and don't call 911."Most things go away," he said. "So, 'Let's give it an hour, let's give it two hours.'"The average wait time, according to a recent study, is 15 hours.Researchers say women and younger people are a big reason why."There's a tendency to hesitate to tell people," he said. "You don't want to make a big deal. You don't want to worry others." Dhand and his colleagues at Mass General Brigham figured people might be more willing to share their fears with a phone, so they developed an app called ECHAS, or Emergency Call for Heart Attack and Stroke."What we wanted to do is bring the cardiologist and neurologist to the front and say, 'Hey, we are here with you,'" he said.In a calm voice recorded for the app, Dhand guides the user through a series of questions.The tests include tapping on the screen, first with one finger, then with the other."That gives us an idea that the one side of their body is weak," Dhand said.Another test involves smiling for the camera and then squinting while the app looks for anything asymmetrical."The camera can actually do that as well as I can," Dhand said. "In fact, it probably, at times, can do it better with subtle features."If the patient hears the app say, "Your risk is high. Call 911 immediately," Dhand hopes more people will listen — and live."Everyone has this in their pocket," he said, holding a smartphone. "At its best, it could actually help triage and direct you at the right moment at the right time."The biggest challenge left may be waiting for the ECHAS app to be approved.Dhand says he still needs to run one more test with patients who have already had a stroke, since they are at higher risk for having another one.If that test is successful at spotting early symptoms, Dhand hopes to see the app added to every new smartphone.
WALTHAM, Mass. —
The early symptoms of a stroke may seem minor at first.
For Dr. Amar Dhand, that's a major problem.
"People tend to shrug it off," said Dhand, a neurologist at Mass General Brigham.
Their decision can be deadly.
Strokes are medical emergencies at every stage, including when the symptoms appear minor.
In the United States, they happen once every 40 seconds, and someone dies once every three minutes.
"The sad part is, we've actually solved the treatment problem quite well in stroke," Dhand said. "We have medications you can get through veins that actually go in and break open the clots."
But to work, the patient needs to receive drugs within the first three hours after symptoms start.
Dhand said as many as 90% of stroke victims wait too long and don't call 911.
"Most things go away," he said. "So, 'Let's give it an hour, let's give it two hours.'"
The average wait time, according to a recent study, is 15 hours.
Researchers say women and younger people are a big reason why.
"There's a tendency to hesitate to tell people," he said. "You don't want to make a big deal. You don't want to worry others."
Dhand and his colleagues at Mass General Brigham figured people might be more willing to share their fears with a phone, so they developed an app called ECHAS, or Emergency Call for Heart Attack and Stroke.
"What we wanted to do is bring the cardiologist and neurologist to the front and say, 'Hey, we are here with you,'" he said.
In a calm voice recorded for the app, Dhand guides the user through a series of questions.
The tests include tapping on the screen, first with one finger, then with the other.
"That gives us an idea that the one side of their body is weak," Dhand said.
Another test involves smiling for the camera and then squinting while the app looks for anything asymmetrical.
"The camera can actually do that as well as I can," Dhand said. "In fact, it probably, at times, can do it better with subtle features."
If the patient hears the app say, "Your risk is high. Call 911 immediately," Dhand hopes more people will listen — and live.
"Everyone has this in their pocket," he said, holding a smartphone. "At its best, it could actually help triage and direct you at the right moment at the right time."
The biggest challenge left may be waiting for the ECHAS app to be approved.
Dhand says he still needs to run one more test with patients who have already had a stroke, since they are at higher risk for having another one.
If that test is successful at spotting early symptoms, Dhand hopes to see the app added to every new smartphone.
