Three studies have demonstrated how AI-powered cardiac monitoring from Philips can improve diagnosis, reduce readmissions and lower costs.

Dutch giant Philips presented the retrospective study results at this month’s Heart Rhythm Annual Meeting in Boston.

With cardiovascular disease on the rise, clinicians and health systems continue to look for ways to deliver high-quality care that is timely and cost-effective. Findings from the three studies highlight the central role mobile cardiac monitoring technology plays in supporting early detection of adverse cardiac events and enabling potentially life-saving interventions for patients, while helping reduce readmissions and lower costs.

Recently published in the Journal of Comparative Effectiveness Research (becarispublishing.com/doi/10.57264/cer-2024-0008), a Philips study compares the clinical and economic outcomes of using the Philips MCot mobile cardiac outpatient telemetry (www.gobio.com/mcot) wearable ECG sensor with implantable loop recorders (ILRs) in stroke patients to determine how cardiac remote monitoring technology impacts current standards of care. This study analysed the 18 months following a stroke event and found that when MCot was used instead of ILR for post-discharge monitoring:

• Patients experienced significantly lower readmissions (30.2% in the MCot-monitored group compared with 35.4% in the ILR group);
• Average cost over an 18-month period following the stroke event was reduced by $27,429;
• Emergency department use was significantly lower;
• Patients with complications and comorbidities from the index stroke experienced a higher rate of survival.

“As we explore how specific ambulatory monitoring devices, like MCot, impact clinical outcomes, data demonstrate that choice of monitoring modality does affect the cost-effectiveness of care and patient outcomes,” said Manish Wadhwa, chief medical officer for Philips (www.philips.com) ambulatory monitoring and diagnostics. “Effective cardiac monitoring starts with quality data, and with the AI-powered data platform behind MCot, Philips is uniquely positioned to help care teams make quick, impactful and cost-conscious decisions for their cardiac patients.”

• Philips has rolled out its ambulatory cardiac monitoring service to 14 Spanish healthcare providers using its wearable ePatch (www.gobio.com/epatch) paired with its AI-driven Cardiologs (cardiologs.com) analytics platform. The ePatch extended wear Holter monitors detects life-threatening heart arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation (AF). The product can detect heart arrhythmias missed by traditional Holter monitors, enhance patient comfort, improve care access, and lead to potentially better clinical outcomes, in addition to reducing overall costs.

The ePatch provides reliable data for up to 14 days of continuous monitoring. When paired with Philips’ AI-driven Cardiologs analytics platform, it empowers the hospitals’ cardiology and neurology teams with an end-to-end offering that enhances their ability to detect and diagnose AF. AF significantly increases the risk of stroke, dementia and heart failure, yet often goes undetected due to its lack of noticeable symptoms and infrequent occurrence intervals.