Home monitoring system improves the detection of ventricular arrhythmia and inappropriate shock

Background The impact of home monitoring system in the early detection of ventricular arrhythmia and inappropriate shock in daily work is not clear. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of home monitoring system on the early detection of ventricular arrhythmia and inappropriate shock in daily clinical practice. Methods Cases of implantable cardioverter defibrillator （ICD） implantation with or without the home monitoring system from June 2010 to October 2011 at our center were reviewed. Follow-up was scheduled after implantation. Data relating to the home monitoring ICD were retrieved using a remote transmitter system. Data relating to the other devices were obtained during scheduled follow-up or unscheduled visits. Results Our study involved 69 patients （mean age （68.4＋17.6） years, 64.3% males, 26 in the home monitoring group vs. 43 in the non-home monitoring group）. In all, 561 ventricular arrhythmia episodes were detected in 17 patients （39.5%） in the non-home monitoring group： 495 episodes were ventricular tachycardia and 66 episodes were ventricular fibrillation; among these, 476 episodes of ventricular tachycardia and 45 episodes of ventricular fibrillation were appropriately diagnosed （96.1% and 68.2%, respectively）. In the home monitoring group, 389 ventricular arrhythmia episodes were transmitted by the home monitoring system in nine patients （34.6%）： 348 ventricular tachycardia episodes and 41 ventricular fibrillation episodes. Device detection was appropriate in 348 ventricular tachycardia episodes （100.0%） and 36 ventricular fibrillation episodes （87.8%）. The home monitoring group showed a higher appropriate detection rate of ventricular tachycardia （P 〈0.01） and ventricular fibrillation （P=0.02）. The proportion of inappropriate shock was comparable in the two groups （6/11 in the non-home monitoring group vs. 1/7 in the home monitoring group; m=0.08）. Conclusions The home monitoring ICD was able to provide information relating to inappropriate detection and shock earlier than conventional devices. It proved to be a reliable tool and has a strong potential to provide greater reaction time in the case of inappropriate shock.

Role of home monitoring with iCare ONE rebound tonometer in glaucoma patients management

AIM: To evaluate intraocular pressure(IOP) measurements and fluctuations using the i Care ONE rebound tonometer(RT-ONE), during home monitoring, in diagnosed and suspected glaucoma patients.METHODS: A retrospective case series of consecutive patients with known glaucoma or glaucoma suspects who were followed-up and treated between January 2016 and January 2017. The study included 80 eyes of 40 patients with a mean age of 59.1±14.6 y(range, 24-78). All patients have undergone 4-5 d of IOP home monitoring with RT-ONE at morning, noon, afternoon, and night time.RESULTS: Baseline mean IOP, as measured in the clinic(8 a.m.-12 p.m.), was 17.4±5.1 mm Hg, compared to RT-ONE home monitoring mean IOP of 15.6±4.1 mm Hg(P=0.002). Mean IOP was significantly lower at noon, afternoon and night times compared to clinic measured IOP and morning measurements(P=0.005). IOP peak measured during home monitoring was significantly higher compared to the clinic measured IOP(21.3±5.6 mm Hg and 17.4±5.1 mm Hg, P<0.001). IOP peaks during home monitoring demonstrated a majority of 47 peaks during morning measurements, compared to 23 at noon, 19 at afternoon and only 12 at night(P<0.001). The home monitoring results led to treatment modification of 44 eyes(55%), treatment regime was insufficient for 40(50%) eyes.CONCLUSION: Home monitoring IOP with RT-ONE can provide good assessment of mean IOP, IOP fluctuations and peaks throughout the hours of the day, which lead to an accurate treatment for glaucoma patients.

Telemonitoring in heart failure patients:Systematic review and metaanalysis of randomized controlled trials

BACKGROUND Home telemonitoring has been used as a modality to prevent readmission and improve outcomes for patients with heart failure.However,studies have produced conflicting outcomes over the years.AIM To determine the aggregate effect of telemonitoring on all-cause mortality,heart failure-related mortality,all-cause hospitalization,and heart failure-related hospitalization in heart failure patients.METHODS We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 38 home telemonitoring randomized controlled trials involving 14993 patients.We also conducted a sensitivity analysis to examine the effect of telemonitoring duration,recent heart failure hospitalization,and age on telemonitoring outcomes.RESULTS Our study demonstrated that home telemonitoring in heart failure patients was associated with reduced all-cause[relative risk(RR)=0.83,95% confidence interval(CI):0.75-0.92,P=0.001]and cardiovascular mortality(RR=0.66,95%CI:0.54-0.81,P<0.001).Additionally,telemonitoring decreased the all-cause hospitalization(RR=0.87,95%CI:0.80-0.94,P=0.002)but did not decrease heart failurerelated hospitalization(RR=0.88,95%CI:0.77-1.01,P=0.066).However,prolonged home telemonitoring(12 mo or more)was associated with both decreased all-cause and heart failure hospitalization,unlike shorter duration(6 mo or less)telemonitoring.CONCLUSION Home telemonitoring using digital/broadband/satellite/wireless or blue-tooth transmission of physiological data reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in heart failure patients.In addition,prolonged telemonitoring(≥12 mo)reduces all-cause and heart failure-related hospitalization.The implication for practice is that hospitals considering telemonitoring to reduce heart failure readmission rates may need to plan for prolonged telemonitoring to see the effect they are looking for.

Update on the use of portable monitoring system for the diagnosis of sleep apnea in specific population

The prevalence and severity of obstructive sleep apnea(OSA) is higher in specific population: children, elderly,obese and patients with pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases, compared to the general population. OSA is associated with greater morbidity and mortality in these patients. Although full-night polysomnography is still the gold standard diagnostic sleep study for OSA, it is a time consuming, expensive and technically demanding exam. Over the last few years, there is growing evidence on the use of portable monitors(PM) as an alternative for the diagnosis of OSA. These devices were developed specially for sleep evaluation at home, at a familiar environment, with easy selfapplication of monitoring, unattended. The use of PM is stablished for populations with high pre-test probability of OSA. However, there is a lack of studies on the use of PM in age extremes and patients with comorbidities. The purpose of this review is to present the studies that evaluated the use of PM in specific population, as well as to describe the advantages, limitations and applications of these devices in this particular group of patients. Although the total loss rate of recordings is variable in different studies, the agreement with fullnight polysomnography justifies the use of PM in this population.

Home Blood Pressure Monitoring and Its Association With Blood Pressure Control Among Hypertensive Patients With High Cardiovascular Risk in China

Objective:Home blood pressure monitoring(HBPM)is viewed as a facilitating factor in the initial diagnosis and long-term management of treated hypertension.However,evidence remains scarce about the effectiveness of HBPM use in the real world.This study aimed to examine the associations of HBPM use with blood pressure(BP)control and medication adherence.Methods:This prospective cohort study included hypertensive patients with high cardiovascular risk who were aged≥50 years.At baseline,information about types of BP monitor,frequency of HBPM,perception of anti-hypertensive treatment,and measured office BP were collected.During the 1-year follow-up(visits at 1,2,3,6,and 12 months),information on medication adherence was collected at each visit.The 2 major outcomes were BP control at baseline and medication adherence during the 1-year follow-up.A log-binomial regression model was used to examine the association between frequency of HBPM and outcomes,stratified by the perceptions of anti-hypertensive treatment.Results:A total of 5,363 hypertensive patients were included in the analysis.The age was(64.6±7.2)years,and 41.2%(2,208)were female.Of the total patients,85.9%(4,606)had a home BP monitor and 47.8%(2,564)had an incorrect perception of anti-hypertensive treatment.Overall,24.2%(1,299)of patients monitored their BP daily,37.6%(2,015)weekly,17.3%(926)monthly,and 20.9%(1,123)less than monthly.At baseline,the systolic BP and diastolic BP were(146.6±10.8)mmHg and(81.9±10.6)mmHg,respectively,and 28.5%(1,527)of patients had their BP controlled.Regardless of whether the patients had correct or incorrect perceptions of anti-hypertensive treatment,there is no significant association between HBPM frequency and BP control at baseline.During the 1-year follow-up,23.9%(1,280)of patients had non-adherence to medications at least once.In patients with an incorrect perception of anti-hypertensive treatment,those monitoring BP most frequently(daily)had the highest non-adherence rate(29.9%,175/585).Compared with those monitoring their BP less than monthly,patients who monitored their BP daily were more likely not to adhere to anti-hypertensive medications(adjusted relative risk=1.38,95%confidence interval:1.11–1.72,P=0.004).Conclusions:HBPM performance among hypertensive patients in China is,in general,sub-optimal.No association was observed between using HBPM alone and hypertension control,indicating that the effects of HBPM could be conditional.Patients’misconceptions about anti-hypertensive treatment may impair the role of BP monitoring in achieving medication adherence.Fully incorporating the correct perception of hypertension into the management of hypertensive patients is needed.

A New Social and Technological Paradigm to Assess Chronic Patient Management Process： Preliminary Results

The present research intends to address in a comprehensive, transversal, and interdisciplinary manner the chronic patient management process in the research project named ＂PRO DOMO SUD＂ in order to identify operational inefficiencies, thus demonstrating that these are largely attributable to incurred costs and, thus, evaluate possible solutions for providing effective and appropriate responses by healthcare and social services. Can patients/older people be treated, monitored, and managed successfully with mobile and wearable technologies？ The project involved three different groups of patients/participants： Patients with heart failure shock in ＂Home Monitoring Scenario＂; Patients with different pathologies in ＂Virtual Ward Scenario＂; Patients with limited mobility due to Neurological and Orthopaedic disease in ＂Rehabilitation Scenario＂. Due to the complexity of the issue, the methodological approach adopted must be multidimensional and interdisciplinary, addressing the complexity of the chronic patient from all viewpoints, not reducing it, yet analysing, understanding, rearranging, and managing it in an organic manner. The three different scenarios were allowed to identify several impacts on organizational and clinic management of chronic diseases, the tests showed significant improvements in quality of life of patients enrolled in the project. The data deriving from the three scenario demonstrate that wearable divide and ICT, in general, can empower both patients and physician personnel allowing them to be active part in the chronic disease management process. The PRO DOMO SUD experience derived from the Living Lab, this is a new paradigm for industrial research and development activities which allows the final users to actively collaborate with the designers and technicians in the development and test of new products and services aimed to them. The Living Labs stimulate social innovation by transferring research results from the closed industrial laboratory towards real life contexts where citizens and users become co-developers.

Reduction of atrial fibrillation in remotely monitored pacemaker patients： results from a Chinese multicentre registry

Background Many recipients of implantable cardiac electronic devices have atrial fibrillation （AF） occurrences after device implantation, even if there is no previous history of AF, and some of the episodes are asymptomatic. The purpose of this study was to evaluate trends in AF burden following early AF detection in patients treated with pacemakers equipped with automatic, daily Home Monitoring function. Methods Between February 2009 and December 2010, the registry recruited 701 pacemaker patients （628 dual-chamber, 73 biventricular devices） at 97 clinical centers in China. Daily Home Monitoring data transmissions were analyzed to screen for the AF burden. In-office follow-ups were scheduled for 3 and 6 months after implantation. Upon first AF （i.e., mode-switch） detection in a patient, screening olAF burden by Home Monitoring was extended for the next 180 days. Results At least one episode of AF was observed in 22.9% of patients with dual-chamber pacemakers and in 28.8% of patients with biventricular pacemakers. The first AF detection in a patient occurred, on average, about 2 months before scheduled follow-up visits. In both pacemaker groups, mean AF burden decreased significantly （P〈0.05） over 180 days following first AF detection： from 12.0% to 2.5% in dual-chamber and from 12.2% to 0.5% in biventricular pacemaker recipients. The number of patients with an AF burden 〉10% per month was significantly reduced over 6 months of implantation in both dual chamber （38 patients in the first month vs. 21 patients in month 6, P〈0.05） and biventricular （7 patients in the first month vs. 0 patient in months 4-6, P〈0.05） pacemaker recipients. Conclusions Automatic, daily Home Monitoring of patients treated with cardiac pacemakers allows early detection of AF, and there is a gradual and significant decrease in AF burden.