Medical technology revolution saves lives
Published: June 21, 2022, 11:01 a.m. Updated: July 7, 2022, 10:33 a.m.Thrombectomy can save the life of someone who has had a stroke. But it has to happen quickly. – Clinical studies show that with rapid cooling we can increase the survival of stroke patients with good neurological function in the West, says Martin Waleij, CEO at BrainCool. 15 million people suffer from strokes worldwide – every year. A third of these become permanently disabled, caused by brain damage as a result of blocked blood flow and reduced oxygen supply. But progress has been made in treating stroke patients. Thrombectomy is a medical-technological revolution where you go in with forceps and pull out the blood clot. If it is removed early and quickly enough, the shut down part of the brain gets a chance to recover. This means that both disability and the risk of dying are reduced. – Thrombectomy is growing like an avalanche and increases survival in a stroke. Out of 100 patients who undergo thrombectomy, 5 to 15 more survive than those who do not receive the treatment. 15 to 30 more cope with everyday life without assistance, says Martin Waleij. Even in cases where the blood clot has been removed by thrombectomy, permanent damage can occur when the blood flow returns to the brain – so-called reperfusion damage. But by cooling down the specific brain tissue before the reflow, you reduce the risk of these injuries.Read more at: www.braincool.se – With thrombectomy in combination with cooling, we take a big step forward to increase survival for stroke patients and give more people the chance for a life without care and assistance. In a first study in Freiburg, survival with good neurological function has more than doubled, if these results can be replicated in the planned randomized study that starts this fall, it would be revolutionary. One problem, however, is that thrombectomy is not performed everywhere in Sweden, but only in seven hospitals. Time is therefore a critical factor for the patient. – It is in this time window that BrainCool can revolutionize care. Studies show that you should cool as early as possible and with the product RhinoChill® we can give the patient early and rapid cooling already in the ambulance and in the neuro cath lab where the thrombectomy is performed, says Martin Waleij. In April 2020, BrainCool received a grant from the EU of 3 million euros to develop the first cooling device to meet the cooling needs of stroke patients. The aim was to launch the world’s first TTM system, the product concept Braincell – early cooling in combination with thrombectomy. The study has been presented in Germany and the clinical effect targets show very good results.Read more at: www.braincool.se – The difference is revolutionary, and provides fantastic input before a pivtotal study. I am pleased that we reached the milestones in the first year of this EU-funded project, which, in addition to bringing Braincell to market, also offers funding and operational support for our devices on the market today, in other indications, says Martin Waleij. Treatment with thrombectomy is increasing rapidly in Germany, where the treatment is performed in approximately 210 hospitals. Forecasts point to over 16,000 treated patients in 2022. In the USA, the number of hospitals is over 900. The goal is for the number of treated patients to reach 1.7 million globally within a couple of years. – Interest in our clinical studies in combined TTM treatment and thrombectomy is great. Our presentation at the international congress 8th International Hypothermia and Temperature Management Symposium 2022 on June 17, under the direction of the University Hospital in Freiburg, naturally created further interest in our study. The next step is to find out if we should also include clinics from the Nordics and the USA in the study, concludes Martin Waleij. About Braincool
BrainCool is an innovative company that develops and markets medical technology products for rapid cooling and continuous temperature regulation or Targeted Temperature Management (TTM) in stroke, sudden cardiac arrest and in the painful side effect of cancer treatment, oral mucositis. The article is produced by Brand Studio in collaboration with Braincool and not an article by Dagens industri
