New Technology Monitors Heart Arrhythmias
Cardiac arrhythmias, or abnormal heart rhythms, affect millions of people worldwide and are responsible for more than a quarter million deaths annually in the United States alone. Early detection is crucial for avoiding adverse health outcomes, especially for older adults with heart disease.
Fortunately, new technologies like wearable patches are helping to improve the diagnosis of cardiac arrhythmias and potentially save lives. One such device is Zio, produced by digital healthcare company iRhythm.
Zio has been around since 2014 and monitors heart health while helping diagnose actionable arrhythmias, including ventricular arrhythmias. According to the company, patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy had better health outcomes with long-term follow-up of up to 14 days using Zio’s technology.
To add to that, a study of premature ventricular complexes in over 100,000 patients showed that increased monitoring for seven to ten days helped better categorize patients by level of CVP load. This could improve diagnosis and ensure cardiac patients receive the appropriate treatment or other options.
Other arrhythmia monitors on the market include holter monitors, Kardia/AliveCor Portable EKG Monitors, patches and real-time monitors. Wearable devices like Oura rings and smartwatches also monitor heart function.
Technology has played an important role recently in improving outcomes for patients with heart disease. Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin developed an “electronic tattoo” on the chest that can be used for continuous cardiac monitoring outside of clinical settings with sensors that can detect early signs of heart disease.
Meanwhile, a new artificial intelligence algorithm developed by researchers at Cedars Sinai Medical can predict the risk of heart attacks or other cardiac events based on patient health data and images of the heart.
As technology continues to advance in healthcare, it is likely that more innovative solutions will emerge to help diagnose and treat cardiac arrhythmias. Based on the news, these new technologies could be useful in detection and potentially save lives.
Sources:
New data released for technology that monitors heart arrhythmias
https://investors.irhythmtech.com/news/news-details/2023/New-Data-From-iRhythm-Reinforce-the-Utility-of-Long-Term-Ambulatory-Cardiac-Monitoring-for-Increased-Diagnostic-Yield-and-Improved-Diagnostic-Accuracy-of-Actionable-Arrhythmias/default.aspx
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.116.023519
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/holter-monitor/about/pac-20385039#:~:text=A%20Holter%20monitor%20is%20a,details%20about%20the%20heart’s%20condition.
https://www.kardia.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjwvdajBhBEEiwAeMh1U-v5dpA9gk40PeT2moCinrIQ_Dcai_T5kY0vptOGB2XE67P0ZO0RjhoCoP0QAvD_BwE
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/16732-ambulatory-monitors
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aelm.202201284
