Stroke remains a major global health challenge, ranking as the second leading cause of death worldwide and the fifth in the United States. To address this, researchers at Ochsner Health have developed a groundbreaking predictive model with 93% accuracy in determining whether patients undergoing urgent carotid intervention will regain functional independence. Their study, “Precision in Stroke Care: A Novel Model for Predicting Functional Independence in Urgent Carotid Intervention Patients,” is published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
This innovative model leverages a data-driven approach, integrating four key clinical metrics—stroke severity, frailty risk score, timing of intervention, and thrombolysis use—to create a real-time decision-making tool. By utilising these variables, physicians can enhance patient care by tailoring treatment strategies, optimising intervention timing, and ensuring that complex procedures are performed on those most likely to benefit.
This tool welcomes a new era of stroke care where data-driven insights guide every decision. By incorporating a real-time frailty risk score into electronic medical records (EMR), along with stroke severity and other key variables, clinicians can proactively determine who will benefit from immediate surgery and who may require ‘pre-habilitation’ to improve their chances of recovery. This approach aligns with the 2025 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) initiatives, including value-based care and age-friendly health system measures, reinforcing the commitment to better outcomes and higher-quality care.
Stroke care demands rapid decision-making and precise interventions. By integrating this model into routine clinical workflows, Ochsner is equipping healthcare teams with the ability to predict patient outcomes with greater accuracy. This allows for more personalised, patient-centred strategies that improve both short-term recovery and long-term quality of life.
Having a model that predicts a patient’s recovery potential with such high reliability can give clinicians with unprecedented confidence in their treatment decisions. This innovation ensures that each patient receives the most appropriate care, advancing the mission of excellence in stroke treatment.
Source: Ochsner Health
Image Credit: iStock
References:
Bazan H, Fort D, Snyder L et al. (2025) Precision in Stroke Care: A Novel Model for Predicting Functional Independence in Urgent Carotid Intervention Patients. Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
