Wearable sensor reduces heart failure rehospitalization, industry study finds
A temporary wearable device plus additional remote monitoring reduced heart failure readmissions by 38% among high-risk patients, a manufacturer's trial found.
A wearable sensor reduced risk of heart failure (HF) rehospitalization among patients with a recent hospitalization, an industry-funded study found.
The study assessed the effects of a HF monitoring system that uses radiofrequency data to provide an estimate of thoracic fluid content. The system records the EKG through adhesive electrodes and respiration rate, activity, and posture through a triaxial accelerometer.
Eligible patients at 93 sites in various countries were discharged from the hospital within the previous 10 days and had a HF event in the previous six months. There were 287 patients assigned to the control arm, in which patients and investigators were blinded to sensor data, and 265 enrolled in the treatment arm, in which data were provided proactively. The patients wore the monitor for up to 90 days, with an option of extending wear up to 180 days Patients also recorded in a diary any HF symptoms/events and medication changes, which they reported during weekly phone calls. Regardless of study arm, patients' HF was managed according to the usual standard of care in the community. The study was funded by the device maker and the first study author is a consultant for the company. Results were published Oct. 9 by JACC: Heart Failure.
A total of 245 patients in the control arm and 249 in the intervention arm were eligible for intention-to-treat analysis. There were 276 hospitalizations in 189 patients at 90 days, of which 108 events in 82 patients were determined to be HF-related. The patients in the intervention arm had a 38% lower HF hospitalization rate during the 90 days following a HF hospitalization than those in the control arm (hazard ratio, 0.62; P=0.03). The percentage of patients who were readmitted for HF was reduced by an absolute value of 7%, or a number needed to treat of 14.3 patients to prevent one from having a HF readmission, the study authors calculated. Quality of life improved in the intervention arm, with a clinically meaningful magnitude of benefit of 12 points more than the control arm.
“The magnitude of benefit seen in this study in reducing HF hospitalization was similar or better than other sensors that have been successfully used to direct HF therapy,” the authors wrote. “A clear advantage of this technology is that it is wearable and is not a permanent implant. As a result, it can be used during a time of increased risk, such as following an HF hospitalization, and can be discontinued once the risk is lower.”