The Amsterdam-based company presented the findings at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Amsterdam. Results showed how specific diagnostic referral codes can potentially help to pre-determine how long a cardiology patient should receive mobile telemetry, or Holter monitoring, to monitor their symptoms remotely and possibly prevent further hospitalization.
Conventional Holter monitoring, analysis and reporting often prove labor-intensive and inefficient with potential high costs. The inconvenient process can include long turnaround times and negatively affected patient compliance and satisfaction. Philips designed its extended-wear Holter monitor, the ePatch, for several days of continuous monitoring.
Philips acquired ePatch through its $2.5 billion acquisition of BioTelemetry, which it completed in early 2021.
The findings from Philips
The company analyzed data from more than 40,000 ePatch patients, finding three tiers of referral diagnoses based on one day of monitoring. Tier one featured five referral codes with the lowest diagnostic yield. It had the greatest increase with extended monitoring. Philips said this suggests that patients would benefit most from extended monitoring duration.
At tier two, referral diagnoses at day one came in with 20%-30% detection. That matched the company’s previous detection findings, with increases continuing to day 14 of monitoring. In tier three, the four referral diagnoses with the highest detection at day one demonstrated significant diagnostic yield increases at day seven. Those continued to increase at day 14, but not quite as dramatically in tier one.
Dr. Pere Blanch presented the findings at ESC this weekend. Blanch, a Philips customer, serves as a cardiologist at Hospital Sant Joan Despi Moises Broggi of Barcelona. He said ePatch helps to address many challenges associated with traditional Holter monitoring.
“We’re spending less time on logistics and set-up, and we’re seeing improved patient compliance thanks to the device’s ease of application and comfort,” Blanch said. “The data presented by Philips, along with the data that we found from our own evaluation of the diagnostic efficiency of EWH monitoring using ePatch, help to inform care decisions and offer peace of mind to both our patients and our staff.”
