Royal Philips, a global leader in health technology and University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (UHSussex) have completed a pilot project using Philips ePatch. The announcement marks the first NHS project monitoring heart patients with Philips wearable ePatch and AI-powered arrhythmia ECG analysis platform, Philips Cardiologs.
Dr Mark Tanner, Consultant Cardiologist who led the project at UHSussex told Philips: “the results of this project have been overwhelmingly positive, both in terms of patient experience and making a diagnosis. What we saw was that using the ePatch and the AI-powered arrhythmia ECG analysis platform, Philips Cardiologs, can increase the likelihood diagnosing heart rhythm problems, especially if patients don’t experience symptoms daily.”
Unlike traditional Holter monitors, the ePatch allows for a longer period of reliable data collection with up to 14 days of continuous ECG monitoring. A patient-friendly wearable, the device is comfortable and splash-proof, allowing patients to maintain their daily routines. In comparison, traditional Holter monitors require multiple wired ECG electrodes to be applied to the patient’s chest linked to a control unit worn on a belt or necklace. These monitors can be inconvenient for patients’ leading to lower compliance which can impact their diagnostic capabilities. By comparison, a study showed ePatch can find up to 2.5x more clinically relevant heart rhythm disorders compared to traditional Holter monitoring.
When Philips ePatch is used with Cardiologs, the ability of the cardiology team caring for the patient is equally enhanced, as AI helps detect and diagnose heart arrhythmias such as Atrial Fibrillation often missed by traditional monitors which typically record for 24-48 hours. With traditional Holter monitors, application, analysis and reporting processes can be labour and time intensive for clinical teams. These devices can also be relatively costly, limiting their availability and causing delays in patient tests.
