[Image from Pixabay]
Out of more than 400 people with Medtronic cardiac devices, those with a high-risk score based on cardiac implantable electronic device physiological data had odds of dying that were three times higher than the never-high-risk group, according to the study published in the February issue of EP Europace.
Out of the 60 patients in the group who died, 50 had a high-risk score.
“We believe this technology could be a game-changer in the management of cardiac patients, particularly those with heart failure,” said Dr. Fozia Ahmed, honorary reader in cardiovascular sciences from the University of Manchester and consultant cardiologist at the Manchester Heart Centre at the Manchester Royal Infirmary. “In Greater Manchester, based on the data from the research, we have been using device alerts, which notify the care team when a patient is detected by the device as ‘high-risk’, to prompt a telephone consultation with a specialist.”
“The whole process from detection of a high-risk episode, through to assessment and follow-up is known as the TriageHF Plus care pathway. Originally developed in Manchester, it is now being used more widely,” Ahmed said in a news release.
The research received support from Health Data Research U.K. (HDR UK) and the U.K.’s Medical Research Council and funding from the U.K. Research and Innovation’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. The work came out of a collaboration between Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), the University of Manchester, Health Innovation Manchester, and Medtronic.
Dr. Kweli P. Thompson, GM of the Defibrillation Solutions business at Medtronic, said: “The increased mortality identified in the evaluation justified the need for an industry and [National Health Service] collaboration in this space, to create a digital solution that aims to ensure that the high-risk notifications are sent direct to heart care teams who can take action as clinically indicated, based on the health-related data from the patient’s device.”
