World Brain Day 2025 | Focus on Stroke Awareness

🌍 July 22 | World Brain Day 2025

Every minute matters in stroke care. Our brains don’t wait—and neither should our systems.

On this World Brain Day, we highlight the urgent need to optimize care for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) – a leading cause of disability and death worldwide.

Our multicenter retrospective study—conducted across stroke networks in Italy, Spain, and Switzerland—revealed significant variability in how quickly patients receive mechanical thrombectomy (MT) under the Drip-and-Ship (DS) model. Even with shared goals and protocols, treatment delays varied widely.

🔍 Key insights:

Differences in door-to-groin times signal workflow inconsistencies.

Timely coordination and communication are critical for patient outcomes.

Telemedicine and AI-powered tools can accelerate treatment and decision-making.

💡 Our takeaway:

✔ Better coordination

✔ Smart use of digital tools

✔ Faster treatment

= Better brain outcomes.

Through the EU-funded MDRinAIS project, we are working toward a smarter, digitally integrated stroke care pathway using AI-assisted imaging and enhanced telemedicine. The goal? Fewer delays. Better recovery.

📢 Our publication is currently under preparation and will be available open access in the European Stroke Journal (ESJ).

🧠 Let’s use this day to reaffirm our commitment to improving stroke systems of care—because when it comes to stroke, time is brain.

Author: Rīga Stradiņš University