qathet General Hospital now has the capacity to assist the stroke care team at VGH, using new artificial intelligence technology that interprets CT scan results for suspected stroke patients.
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​The AI was developed by a Stanford University researcher and has been funded from Boehringer Ingelheim, which is a pharmaceutical company, through the VGH and UBC Foundation, as well as through The Powell River Hospital Foundation.
New artificial intelligence (AI) technology available at qathet General Hospital is helping hospital teams rapidly determine the type of strokes, to assess the severity of them, and guide treatment decisions.
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Dr. Samuel Yip, lead stroke neurologist at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH), said stroke is one of the leading causes of disability in Canada, and there are treatments available such as intravenous thrombolysis, which when drugs injected into the patient dissolve blood clots to restore blood flow to the brain.

For some people afflicted with stroke, there is also a new treatment called endovascular thrombectomy (EVT), where medical teams deploy a catheter into the brain, where the blood clot is, to extract it, according to Yip. He said EVT is used with ischemic stroke, which typically happen in larger blood vessels.
“With the larger vessels, if we see a blockage, we can try to go in and remove it,” said Yip.
Patients who would benefit from EVT are selected based on imaging. qathet General Hospital has a CT scanner, which is the diagnostic tool used to identify strokes, and the AI analyzes the imaging.

“You have to be very experienced in looking at these images to be able to tell, but the AI tools help us figure out what areas are affected in a more qualitative way. So, based on the variety of parameters, we can make better decisions in selecting patients to be brought to VGH for EVT.   This AI tool really helps us in selecting the right patients. With stroke, time is of the essence. For every minute of delay in treatment, close to two million brain cells are lost," said Yip.

"qathet General Hospital, patients suspected of stroke will be brought to CT imaging, and once the imaging has taken place, AI will automatically transfer the information to the VGH team. The guideline is that the emergency department physician who suspects there is a stroke will call us and we can get on the imaging right away, take a look, then make decisions,” said Yip.

The AI software was installed in qathet General Hospital in the spring of 2025 and medical staff have been trained in its usage. He said he is pleased the technology exists.

Yip said the message is, when there is any sudden onset of weakness involving the face or the arms, slurring of speech, not being able to speak, or loss of vision, a 911 call and a visit to the hospital emergency department is a must. There is an important acronym called FAST, which stands for face drooping, arm weakness, speech difficultly and time to call 911, that people should remember.
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This article is provided from The Peak article on November 27, 2025 by Paul Galinski

 Powell River Hospital Foundation Supports Stroke Care Pilot Project

We have recently joined a Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) collaboration to improve our hospital’s response to stroke patient care.  This initiative will connect Powell River along with Sechelt and Lions Gate Hospitals, via Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven software, to Vancouver General Hospital (VGH), currently the only location in VCH able to quickly provide specialized stroke recovery therapy.

In fiscal year 2022/23, qathet Hospital emergency department admitted 60 Powell River individuals for stroke.

We know anecdotally how difficult it is for local physicians to diagnosis the severity of a stroke, to assess whether it is ongoing or how likely it is to re-occur, and how urgently they should request to fly a patient out to Vancouver.  Having Rapid AI available at qathet Hospital will enable better stroke identification and decision-making regarding transfer to VGH for a treatment called Endovascular Therapy (EVT) to remove clots and restore blood flow to the brain.  

A Vancouver Coastal Health information release (below) outlines how this initiative will improve the experience and outcomes for individuals following an acute stroke.
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Using AI to support faster stroke care for Coastal patients:  VCH Innovation

When it comes to stroke diagnosis and treatment, timing is everything:  for every minute delay in treatment, 1.9 million brain cells are lost.

To treat strokes quickly and effectively, a treatment called Endovascular Therapy (EVT) may be used to remove clots and restore blood flow to the brain.

Within VCH, EVT is only available at VGH, which creates care challenges for patients from Coastal communities who need specialized stroke treatment.

“We want to make sure that following a stroke, individuals living in our Coastal communities get access to the care they need quickly”, says Kelly Sharp, Regional Stroke Lead.  “A brilliant team across VCH is piloting an exciting initiative that will expand the use of AI-driven imaging software to our Coastal communities.  This technology will quickly analyze CT scans, determining the severity of a stroke and alerting VGH neurologists right away if EVT is needed.”

The diverse team, including stroke neurology, emergency department physicians and staff, radiology, medical imaging, and other key partners across the VCH region, will collaborate to
support:  
​Patient-centred care. Coastal patients will receive the right care at the right place at the right time.
Patient outcomes. Minimizing the time to treatment is critical for preventing brain damage and improving recovery.
Access to specialized care. Enabling local hospitals to collaborate with VGH specialists will ensure patients receive specialized treatment as soon as possible.
Equity in health care. Indigenous populations and remote communities face a higher risk of stroke. Now rural and remote hospitals can provide more equitable access to stroke diagnosis and treatment.
Provider experience. Using AI can positively affect neurologists' experience, helping them make faster and better-informed decisions.
Use of health-care resources. Only those who are confirmed as candidates for EVT will be transferred from Coastal to VGH, freeing up emergency transport for other critical cases.
System and environmental savings. Reducing unnecessary patient transfers relieves the burden on the health-care system and also reduces costs and environmental impacts from ground and air transport.
This project has generous funding support from the Vancouver Coastal Health–Boehringer Ingelheim Innovation Fund, and the Lions Gate, Sechelt and Powell River Hospital Foundations.

The Spring 2023 update of the Donor Wall in the hospital lobby saw the names of Don Villani and Petros Kamiliris entered at the "over $20,000" level in recognition of their generous donations to the Hospital Foundation.  We were also the recipient of a bequest of $270,000 from a friend of the Foundation.
 
Recent equipment purchases approved in June 23 were

• a fetal monitor telemetry transducer and module that will be used to transmit baby's vital signs from a Mom in the maternity ward to the nurse's station.
• a Hamilton T1 ventilator for the ICU. This unit can also be used during patient transport.
• a Siterite PoC ultrasound which helps nurses in locating the needle when performing an IV.
  

Thank you to the congregation of the Faith Lutheran Church for a donation that enabled the purchase of two Electro Cardiograph Machines.  Pictured below are RNs Stephen Shortridge and Heather Muzyzlowski with an ECG cart in the critical care department and LPN Jennifer Salisbury with the second ECG machine on the ward.

The new lighting in both operating rooms has been successfully installed.  Significant scheduling effort was required from project staff to coordinate availability of the electrical contractor with downtime in the operating rooms. Pictured is general surgeon Dr. Pawel Makarewicz and OR nurse Cindy Pankiw with the new lights in May 2023.