The number of patients with cardiac arrhythmias in the Netherlands is on the rise, attributable in part to an ageing population. Dutch company Luscii is responding to this with Luscii AF, a solution that makes it easier and more efficient for doctors to monitor patients remotely. To develop this solution, Luscii is partnering with Swedish artificial intelligence (AI) company Coala Life.
It is estimated that some 200,000 people in the Netherlands have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AF), also known as atrial fibrillation. In addition, an estimated 100,000 more Dutch people suffer from the heart rhythm disorder without being aware of it themselves. In 2017, more than 100 people ended up in hospital every day due to AF.
Closely monitoring
An attack of AF can be accompanied by severe anxiety, among other things. If left untreated, disorder can lead to heart failure or stroke. It is therefore important to be able to monitor patients closely. With Luscii AF, Luscii is marketing a home monitoring solution for this group; the solution helps cardiologists monitor people with a cardiac arrhythmia remotely.
Luscii partnered with Coala Life to develop this solution. Several cardiologists are involved in this company, which grew out of scientific research. Erik Kaufman, co-founder at Luscii, explains: "Our starting point is that with Luscii we solve real problems with the most reliable and user-friendly home measurement technology. The Swedes are 'best in class' in this field, which is why we choose to integrate this revolutionary Coala technology into Luscii."
2-lead ECG and audio recordings
Coala Life supplies measurement sensors called Coala Heart Monitor, which take 2-lead ECG and audio recordings of heart action. Such a measurement takes about 60 seconds and can be performed for months, several times a day, thanks to Luscii AF. This without the patient having to wear stickers on his or her body.
The data collected using these measurements are analysed by AI. This determines whether the patients are suffering from a cardiac arrhythmia and which disorder it is. If necessary, cardiology is automatically alerted so that immediate action can be taken. The data can be read out by doctors via the Luscii dashboard, or integrated into the electronic patient record (EPR).
Available in limited number of hospital
Luscii AF will be made available for development, testing and study purposes to a limited number of hospitals in the Netherlands and the UK in the coming months. When the companies expect to make Luscii AF generally available is not known.
Luscii is also involved in Hartwacht, a service of health insurer Zilveren Kruis aimed at patients with heart failure, arrhythmias and resistant hypertension. The results of this app are promising. For instance, the use of Hartwacht has led to 70% fewer emergency room visits, 30% fewer ambulance trips and 40% fewer nursing days for this group of patients. In early 2018, Zilveren Kruis reported that the blood pressure of patients participating in Hartwacht fell from an average 157/89 mmHg to 132/84 mmHg. 64% of patients with resistant hypertension managed to get their blood pressure under control.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Source: Luscii AF
Source: Coala Life
