Philips will recruit more than 460 patients across the globe in the WE-TRUST trial
An interventional physician assesses a stroke patient on the Philips Azurion image-guided therapy platform (Credit: Koninklijke Philips N.V)
Health technology firm Royal Philips is set to begin a clinical study to evaluate the impact of a Direct to Angio Suite workflow on stroke patient outcomes.
The WE-TRUST (workflow optimisation to reduce Time to endovascular reperfusion in stroke treatment) study will evaluate whether the company’s advanced image-guided therapy platform holds the capacity to diagnose, plan and treat stroke patients in the interventional suite without requiring an initial CT or MRI exam.
The WE-TRUST trial principal investigator Dr Raul Nogueira said: “Significant advances in technology mean that we are now able to identify, plan and treat ischemic stroke patients in the angiography suite, without the need for a separate CT or MR scan.”
Philips will carry out the trial at eight sites in Europe and the US
Philips will conduct the multi-centre, prospective, randomised, controlled, open-label and blinded-endpoint study at eight sites.
The company will recruit more than 460 patients across the globe for the trial, which will start in the first half of next year. It is expected to be completed in 2022.
Philips is focusing on the development of new technology to further enhance the CT-like images of the brain created with the X-ray system in the suite.
The current study is believed to offer the most comprehensive assessment to date of the impact of this technology and workflow innovation on time to treatment and patients’ neurological outcomes, said the company.
Philips Azurion — a platform for interventional procedures — will be used to conduct the trial at the stroke sites in Europe and the US.
According to the company, the primary endpoint of the WE-TRUST trial is patients’ cognitive function at three months after the procedure.
Philips image-guided therapy systems general manager Ronald Tabaksblat said: “With extensive clinical research demonstrating the benefit of a treatment approach that combines thrombectomy and clot-busting drugs, stroke patient triage and treatment has changed dramatically in recent years.
“For stroke patients, ‘time is brain’. The WE-TRUST trial will assess the impact of a streamlined Direct to Angio Suite workflow on patient outcomes and has the potential to make a significant impact in this rapidly advancing field.”
Recently, Philips introduced its new cognitive assessment platform IntelliSpace Cognition in the US.
IntelliSpace Cognition is set to automate and enhance the existing neuropsychological tests, offering new insights for clinicians treating patients with neurological conditions.