SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — June 18, 2025 — More patients are surviving and recovering from the most common and severe form of brain stroke thanks to data-driven treatment methods based on the amassing of more than 1 million variables in an HonorHealth Research Institute program known as HALO, which stands for HonorHealth Acute neuroLogical Outcome.
Ischemic stroke, as opposed to bleeding caused by blunt force trauma, occurs when a blood vessel supplying oxygen to the brain is obstructed because of a blood clot — typically formed in the heart or an artery in the neck. Such blockages, responsible for 87% of all strokes, often result in permanent disability or death.
"I think HALO may be the most comprehensive stroke database in the world," said Shashvat Desai, M.D., a specialist in vascular and interventional neurology, describing the HALO stroke registry.
Each HonorHealth stroke case produces more than 330 clinical, imaging, and administrative data points that cover everything from age, sex, ethnicity and occupation to how the patient was evaluated, diagnosed, managed, and eventually discharged. Such data has been collected about more than 3,000 HonorHealth stroke patients over the past three years, leading to more than 1 million recorded variables.
"HALO was started because — over the past decade — brain stroke treatment has undergone a dramatic transformation from a diagnosable disease to a highly treatable disease," Dr. Desai said. "With this amazing transformation there was, of course, a need for robust bookkeeping; to develop a database where we can monitor and track how patients are doing … how new treatments are affecting stroke care, and how we can improve."
HALO integrates data across four perspectives: scientific advances, quality improvements, collaboration and innovation.
Most blood clots cleared quickly
About one of every eight of the more than 800 stroke patients treated annually at HonorHealth centers undergo a procedure called mechanical thrombectomy, a minimally invasive procedure that uses suction tools and stents to reopen blocked blood vessels.
One measure of success is if a blockage can be cleared is a so-called "first pass" of these tools in the first 30 minutes of starting the procedure. Time is critical, as more brain cells die the longer an area of the brain is deprived of oxygen. Dr. Desai said HonorHealth completes this "first pass" clearance in a majority of such operations.
This procedure is crucial to minimize brain damage and improve the chances of patients regaining independent function after a stroke, said Dr. Desai, who presented his initial HALO findings last month at the 11th European Stroke Organization Conference 2025 in Helsinki, Finland.
Much of this data will be increasingly beneficial in an era of Artificial Intelligence, he said.
Helping prevent secondary strokes
"Data is the new gold rush in many ways. We can mine it and create new knowledge leading to new treatments. This helps us remain competitive in research but also improve the quality of care for HonorHealth patients," said Dr. Desai, noting that HALO data already is helping prevent secondary strokes, which happen to about 20 percent of all patients.
Programs similar to HALO are being developed at major stroke centers around the world, and Dr. Desai is working to ensure that the data they produce can be shared, producing better outcomes for patients.
"We hope this serves as a strong foundation to improve our ability to conduct clinical trials," he said, "which eventually translates to better treatments for patients."
