AliveCor, an artificial intelligence and FDA-cleared personal electrocardiogram (ECG) technology, announced new medical research suggesting the use of AliveCor’s AI technology as a potential alternative to surgically implanted heart monitors.
In a study presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, researchers from Northwestern Medicine demonstrated that the performance of AliveCor’s KardiaBand with an experimental version of SmartRhythm artificial intelligence (AI) in detecting atrial fibrillation (AFib) compares favorably to an implantable loop recorder (ILR), the current industry standard.
Traditionally, ILRs have been viewed as the industry gold standard, allowing for long-term surveillance of AFib. ILRs, however, are invasive as they require surgery; expensive, as they can cost over $20,000 to be implanted and monitored; and opaque, as they provide no real-time feedback to the patient. In contrast, KardiaBand allows patients to record and see a lead I ECG from the wrist, with instant analysis for AFib. With the SmartRhythm AI, which continuously evaluates the smartwatch-provided heart rate and activity level, users are prompted to record an ECG when discordance between the two is detected.
Investigators sought to determine whether KardiaBand with an experimental version of SmartRhythm could accurately detect episodes of AFib compared to an ILR. The study announced found that KardiaBand ECG prompted by the experimental SmartRhythm detected 74 of 76 episodes of AFib of at least 1 hour in duration, with a sensitivity of 97.4%. The correlation for AF episode duration between KardiaBand and ILR was high, at 0.997. The investigators concluded that KardiaBand with the experimental SmartRhythm holds promise as an inexpensive and non-invasive approach to long term AFib surveillance and management. The studied method used to detect AFib is investigational and pending FDA review.
