Israel-based SHL Telemedicine has announced that a UK clinical study of its SmartHeart system aimed at monitoring patients recovering from acute coronary syndrome (ACS) saw a 76% drop in hospital readmissions.
The study, carried out by Imperial College London and dubbed TELE-ACS, also saw a 41% drop in the likelihood of patients monitored by the technology vising an emergency department and decreases in patient-reported symptoms, including chest pain, breathlessness, and dizziness.
The SmartHeart system is a wearable 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) designed to monitor and manage post-ACS patients by reducing hospital readmissions and unplanned coronary revascularisations by relaying patient symptoms and data through a phone app.
Published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology with findings presented before the group’s annual conference, the TELE-ACS trial involved 337 participants at a site in London over six months. The trial found patients using the company’s remote ECG device saw users reporting fewer occurrences of chest pain than those on standard care (SOC) (9% vs. 24%), and less breathlessness (21% vs. 39%) and dizziness (6% vs. 18%).
Erez Nachtomy, CEO of SHL Telemedicine, said: "The results of this pivotal study alongside their presentation at ACC 24, and publication in JACC, serve as a resounding vote of confidence in SHL and our SmartHeart platform as a transformative technology for cardiac care and telemedicine as a whole.
“These groundbreaking clinical results are an endorsement that propels us forward in our mission to redefine patient care, demonstrating the tangible benefits and efficiency of our telemedicine solutions on a global scale."
A report published by GlobalData details how in 2020 the overall market for telehealth apps stood at around $2bn, but in 2024 the figure is estimated to rise to $5bn, with further growth projected into 2030 where it’s estimated to hit $12bn dollars. The overall market of telehealth as well as remote monitoring itself has seen a significant uplift in general interest since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The competitively smaller market of remote patient monitoring sat at a value of around $600m, with that value estimated to rise to $760m by 2030.
Elsewhere in the field of telemedicine, another study, sponsored by digital health provider MD Revolution has found that remote patient monitoring systems can be used to cut 30-day cardiovascular readmissions by half.
