Top Things to Know: Creating Virtual Stroke Networks: Current and Future Role of Artificial Intelligence, Mobile Imaging Applications, and Telehealth in Triage & Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke
Published: December 04, 2025
Prepared by Anne Leonard, MPH, RN, National Senior Director Science and Marketing, American Heart Association
- Rapid evaluation, triage, and transport of stroke patients for thrombolytics, thrombectomy and other acute treatments have become a vital part of cerebrovascular care. With this there is a need for technology to facilitate inter-institutional coordination of care.
- Historically over about the last three decades, evolving standards for the delivery of stroke care have guided hospital infrastructure, resources, clinical expertise, and emergency medical services across health systems in the United States (US).
- Organization of care teams led to consensus requirements for Stroke Center designation in 2003, with efforts to further coordinate care across facilities, agencies and professionals leading to recommendations for the establishment of stroke systems of care in 2005 and 2019.
- Telestroke was the original virtual stroke network, and with time has expanded beyond the physical hospital setting to the current with increased use of thrombolytics in under resourced areas.
- Mobile and AI enhanced neuroimaging are now considered key to a robust virtual stroke network allowing for optimization of transfer and triage decision making for patients in need of neuroendovascular care.
- There are emerging AI tools in development as additions for a robust virtual stroke network. An example is AI enhanced neuroradiology platforms and machine learning technologist to enhance stroke systems of care.
- The potential of remote “neurointervention” such as the use of telerpoctering and telerobotics could expand urgent treatment by involving procedural expertise to distant sites.
- Technological advances in mobile health and AI based applications could support acute stroke identification, transfer, triage and even treatment in the prehospital space.
- This statement discusses the medicolegal, ethical, and regulatory issues relating to virtual care networks.
- Over the past decades coordination across health care facilities has improved dramatically with telestroke, mobile neuroimaging, and lately with AI enhanced tools and these all continue to evolve to enhance stroke systems of care.
Citation
Guzik AK, Fraser JF, Southerland AM, Vagal A, Tsai JP, Dumitrascu OM, Nystrom KV, Martinez Johnson M, Hess DC, Jayaraman MV; on behalf of the American Heart Association Stroke Council; Council on Basic Cardiovascular Sciences; and Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing. Creating virtual stroke networks: current and future role of artificial intelligence, mobile imaging applications, and telehealth in triage and treatment of acute ischemic stroke: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Stroke. Published online December 4, 2025. doi: 10.1161/STR.0000000000000511