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By Robert Preidt
HealthDay Journalist
TUESDAY, July 10, 2018 (HealthDay News) – The common but dangerous heart rhythm disorder known as atrial fibrillation – or a-fib – may go unnoticed for years. Now, research suggests that a high-tech portable patch could detect the disease early.
The use of the Zio XT wireless patch, manufactured by iRhythm, produced "an almost triple improvement in the diagnosis rate of a-fib in those actively monitored compared to usual care," he said. Lead author of the study, Dr. Steven Steinhubl He leads digital medicine at the Scripps Institute Translational Science, in La Jolla, Calif.
The patch monitors the readings of 39, electrocardiogram (ECG) through the skin, looking for telltale signs of arrhythmia – an irregular heartbeat.Steinhubl said in a Scripps press release that "the rapid diagnosis of the a-fib can enable the introduction of effective therapies and help reduce stroke and death. "
A heart specialist not linked to the study said the late detection of a fib – which plagues nearly 6 million Americans – is a v problem.
"Many patients who arrive with a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation have had for a while before seeing a doctor," said Dr. Satjit Bhusri, a cardiologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. "By catching it early – that is, before the symptoms of palpitations, fainting, and stroke – one can reduce the incidence of stroke-related undiagnosed atrial fibrillation."
The new study was funded by Janssen Pharmaceuticals. National Institutes of Health of the United States. The study involved more than 5,200 people across the United States, many of whom received and returned the small portable patch in the mail. Participants were all judged to have risk factors that increased their chances for a-fib.
About one third of the participants wore the patch – which adheres to the skin – and were monitored continuously for up to two weeks. 19659004] The other two-thirds served as a comparison group. These patients received usual care, usually routine visits to their primary care physician. If they were diagnosed with an error, this information appeared in their medical claim files
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Outcome: After one year, a fib was diagnosed in 109 people in the patched group (6.3 percent) against 81 people in the unsupervised group (2.4 percent), the Steinbhul group reported. "This study demonstrates the utility of a numerical approach to not only asymptomatic a-fib diagnosis, but to the field of clinical research as a whole," Steinhubl said.
Dr. Marcin Kowalski conducts cardiac electrophysiology at the University Hospital of Staten Island, New York. He believes that the arrival of devices like the Zio XT patch could be a boon to medical care, but it could also bring new problems.
Aside from spotting, these devices are "able to diagnose other arrhythmias".
Potential disadvantage, he says, is more work for an already overburdened health system.
"One must be aware of the increasing volume of data and resources needed for treatment" Kowalski explained. "This technology could increase the number of transmissions, which could strain the limited resources of a health care provider."
The study was published July 10 in the Journal of the American Medical Association . From HealthDay
Sources
SOURCES: Satjit Bhusri, MD, Cardiologist, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York; Marcin Kowalski, M.D., director of cardiac electrophysiology, Staten Island University Hospital, New York; Scripps Translational Science Institute, press release, July 10, 2018
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