Developing Novel Portable Neuroimaging To Deliver Urgent Prehospital Stroke Care

Abstract

Introduction: Patients with stroke in rural and remote areas have limited access to time-critical stroke care and have worse outcomes. Mobile stroke units (MSUs) are increasingly used worldwide to deliver prehospital stroke care, improving treatment times. However, current brain scanners are too large, heavy, and costly to be used in standard ambulances to access rural regions. The Micro-X solution is a fixed gantry computed tomography (CT) device, using unique cold-cathode technology, in which microscopic carbon nanotubes emit electrons instantaneously when voltage is applied, without heat production, instead of the heated tungsten filament used in conventional CT. This novel te..