AliveCor
AliveCor, a leading innovator in personal electrocardiogram (ECG) technology, has announced the European launch of InstantQT, which allows physicians to remotely record a point-of-care ECG and evaluate patients for potential cardiac abnormalities in less than one minute according to the company.
Used alongside AliveCor’s KardiaMobile 6L device and the KardiaStation app, InstantQT provides instant access to feedback, supporting timely clinical decision making says AliveCor.
The company says that many prescribed pharmaceuticals, such as antipsychotic medications and some cancer treatments, are associated with QT interval prolongation, where the heart’s electrical system takes longer than normal to recharge between beats. If left undetected, this delay can lead to irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia) and potentially sudden cardiac death. For this reason, physicians are required to send their patients for an ECG before prescribing these types of treatment and when considering any changes to their dosage.
Although a vital step in optimising patient safety, conventional ECG monitoring in a hospital setting can be a burden for physicians, invasive for vulnerable patients and costly to healthcare systems. AliveCor says that a process that may have taken days or weeks can now be completed immediately, delivering medical grade clinical feedback direct to the physician without the need for further appointments or their associated costs.
Read more: AliveCor's KardiaMobile 6L use in methadone maintenance therapy to be studied
"For patients receiving medications that could impact their QT interval, timely ECG monitoring is not only necessary but can be lifesaving. AliveCor’s new end-to-end solution provides physicians with immediate access to the data they need to support antipsychotic prescribing decisions, both initiation and monitoring, gathered in a way that is also more comfortable and convenient for their patients patients.
"This new development will be especially welcomed by physicians working with vulnerable patients who have more complex needs,” said Dr Mani Krishnan, Consultant Psychiatrist and Specialty Clinical Director Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust.
The KardiaMobile 6L device can take a medical grade ECG in 30 seconds by the user placing their fingers on each of the two top electrodes and placing the bottom electrode on their left knee or ankle. The ECG is immediately and automatically evaluated by a proprietary AI algorithm*.
Instant feedback regarding the patient’s QTc value can then be accessed at the point of care via the KardiaStation professional app, providing the information needed for physicians to determine the required course of action for treatment. The app produces a documentation report of this data that can either be printed, emailed or directly loaded into a patients’ Electronic Health Record.
“At AliveCor we’re very proud of our legacy in delivering innovative remote cardiac solutions, and today’s launch is further evidence of our commitment to creating new products that can help overcome real-world challenges. The InstantQT solution has the potential to revolutionise the way certain drugs are initiated, streamlining current physician workflows whilst also prioritising patient safety,” said Sean Warren, Senior Director EMEA, AliveCor.
