Rapid Point-of-Care-Tests for Stroke Monitoring

Stroke contributes to at least 7 million deaths annually and is the second leading cause of death globally. Ischemic stroke is the most common type of stroke where an interruption of blood flow within brain tissues can lead to cessation of brain activities. Central to existing reperfusion treatment strategies is prompt restoration of blood supply to compromised brain tissues. Existing methods of monitoring the progress of stroke evolution are limited to clinical evaluation and neuroimaging techniques. With advances in biomarker research, there is now a growing interest in the use of stroke biomarkers to guide clinical decision-making, especially for on-site biomarker measurements, to make time-sensitive decisions on stroke prognosis. This chapter presents an overview on point-of-care-tests (POCT) used to guide stroke prognosis, with the aim of shortening time-to-treatment, classifying stroke subtypes and improving patient’s outcome. First, the current stroke monitoring workflow is presented, which highlights gaps for an improved bedside biomarker assessment. Second, a detailed overview on the different POCTs used for stroke monitoring is specified. Last, a novel approach for the creation of a future successful stroke POCT is presented, which combines the use of a quantitative and multiplex POCT for the detection of stroke-specific biomarkers.