RE: Approximately 100,000 people in the UK each year will have a stroke – a serious life-threatening condition27 Dec 2024 10:39
“This is clearly a particularly worrying time for patients and their families; therefore, it is vital we use new approaches to ensure that patients get onto the right treatment as quickly as possible.”
Professor Newman, who is also Rare Conditions Co-Theme Lead at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), added: “This could reduce time spent in hospital, prevent further strokes, save lives, and avoid future hospital admissions.
“If adopted into routine practice, this rapid test, which has been recommended for use in the NHS by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), represents a major transformation in the way we manage stroke in this country.
“Our early model-based cost-effectiveness analysis published last year shows that using a rapid genetic test could lead to significant cost savings for the NHS. Using a rapid genetic test was £512 less expensive compared with no testing per patient, due to the prevention of secondary strokes and reduced hospital admissions. When you factor in the potential improvements in a patients’ quality of life, the model estimates that the potential saving to the NHS is over £160 million each year.”