LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — An artificial intelligence tool which quickly analyses brain scans of stroke patients has helped boost chances of full recovery since being launched across England, the public health service said on Tuesday.

The technology analyses brain scans to diagnose the type and severity of the stroke and “helps doctors make faster decisions about the right course of treatment”, National Health Service (NHS) England said in a press release.

It was rolled out in over 100 NHS stroke centres last year and has “potentially helped thousands of patients fully recover from a stroke since”.

The AI technology can crucially reduce the time between a patient being admitted to hospital to receiving life-saving treatment by 60 minutes, according to early-stage analysis.

It has also been shown to triple the likelihood of recovery without disability, from 16 per cent to 48 per cent, according to the health service.

“This AI decision support technology is revolutionising how we help people who have been affected by a stroke,” said NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Stroke, David Hargroves.

“It is estimated a patient loses around two million brain cells a minute at the start of a stroke, which is why rapid diagnosis and treatment is so critical,” Hargroves added.

With around 38,000 stroke-related deaths a year, the medical condition is the fourth leading cause of death in the United Kingdom.

According to the government, in June the United Kingdom co-founded an international network of health regulators focusing on AI-use, with the hope of getting “trusted AI tools safely into clinics faster”.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government hopes the technology can help it deliver on election promises to overhaul the ailing public healthcare system and cut patient waiting lists.