There has also been a reduction in the number of referrals for more invasive and costly diagnostic procedures, likely because patients are diagnosed more accurately with the Zio technology.Ĭommenting on the news, Professor Jay Wright, consultant cardiologist at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, said: “We are delighted to have been one of the first trusts in England to use iRhythm’s Zio XT technology at scale. At this hospital where the technology has been piloted the waiting list for an ECG test from around six weeks to just a matter of days. Since January 2021, more than 2,000 patients in Liverpool alone have benefited from the new service. The Award is run by the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) at NHS England and NHS Improvement in partnership with the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).ĭiagnosing heart conditions, however, can involve numerous and often repeated tests, including overnight stays in hospital, yet through the use of this new technology it’s possible to monitor patients over a much longer period of time and from the comfort of their own home. The iRhythm Technologies’ Zio XT Service was announced as a winner of the The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Award in September 2020. It means patients can be treated faster without the burden of repeat testing, reducing pressure on hospital resources in the process. Using both AI and iRhythm’s team of certified cardiac physiologists allows weeks of data to be analysed in minutes and has proven to be very accurate in helping to diagnose a range of arrhythmias. Instead, patients are being fitted with an AI-enabled monitor called ‘Zio XT’ which has been developed by digital healthcare company, iRhythm Technologies.Īfter up to 14 days of wearing the device, which is discreet and showerproof, the patient simply returns it by post for analysis by iRhythm using artificial intelligence (AI). This technology is over 20 years old, cumbersome and can pose a challenge in gaining a diagnosis due to the relatively short period of monitoring. Until now, patients experiencing symptoms of an arrhythmia, such as heart palpitations or fainting, would typically need to go to hospital for 24 hours of monitoring using a traditional ECG monitor (called a Holter) for a diagnosis to be made - known as ambulatory cardiac monitoring. LHCH, Barts, Bristol Southmead, East Kent and Gloucestershire hospitals, amongst others, joined the pilot in 2021 to evaluate the new service which is funded through the NHS AI in Health and Care Award. There were concerns that this figure could have greatly increased during the coronavirus pandemic.Įarly detection of heart rhythm disorders, such as atrial fibrillation which affects an estimated 1.4 million people in the UK, can help to avoid more serious medical events, including stroke. In Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital (LHCH) - one of the hospitals where this technology has been piloted - patient waiting lists have been reduced from as high as 8 weeks to a matter of days. Hospitals in England are trialling a new monitoring device that patients wear at home to help improve and speed up the diagnosis of irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmia). Hospitals pilot AI technology to monitor people with potentially serious heart conditions at home, with one trust seeing a reduction in waiting times to just a matter of days - potentially helping to avoid strokes and heart attacks
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