Medfield Diagnostics, which develops microwave-based diagnostic instruments for healthcare, has, as its very first product, created a helmet, a medical device for diagnosing stroke. The ultimate goal is for ambulances to be equipped with a similar product in the future, so that the proper stroke diagnosis - differentiation between a blood clot and haemorrhage - can be made in the emergency stage, thus facilitating the correct form of treatment to be initiated more quickly.

Every year in Sweden, 30,000 people suffer a stroke, at a cost to society of about 19 billion SEK. If someone gets a blood clot, they should immediately be treated with anticoagulants (thrombolysis), which are however fatal in the event of a haemorrhage. At present, this diagnosis is carried out by X-ray at a hospital, a process that takes an unreasonably long time.

“Today, only about 5- 7 % of all those suffering from a blood clot receive treatment in time. It takes too long to get to a hospital for a diagnosis. With the aid of microwave technology the diagnosis can be made much more quickly and any treatment initiated before the patient arrives at the hospital”, says Mikael Elam, Professor in Clinical Neuro-physiology at Sahlgrenska University Hospital (SU).

At Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Medfield Diagnostics, an incubator company born out of several years of research at Chalmers University of Technology, has most recently concluded its preliminary clinical trials, the objective of which is to facilitate rapid, correct treatment for those suffering a stroke.

“In our preliminary exploratory trials, we were able to observe that, with the aid of technology, it was possible to detect a stroke caused by bleeding in a test group of healthy volunteers. We have also been able, to some extent, to differentiate between a haemorrhage and a blood clot, but further trials need to be conducted before we can fully demonstrate the true potential of this technology. The foremost lessons learned have, however, been the importance of time, even in these preliminary trials of an experimental nature. Likewise, the development of our product has become much more driven by the clinical need, thanks to these preliminary trials”, Patrik Dahlqvist, CEO, Medfield Diagnostics, explains.

Contact:

Patrik Dahlqvist, CEO Medfield Diagnostics

Tel : +46 (0)31-741 17 53, mobile phone: +46 (0)733-18 71 97

patrik.dahlqvist@medfielddiagnostics.com

Sources:

http://www.nordicmedicaladvisor.se/blog/tag/medfield-diagnostics/

http://www.medfielddiagnostics.com/