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Supporting patients via telemedicine after experiencing acute coronary syndrome (ACS) can reduce emergency department attendance and prevent hospital readmission, according to a new study.
Published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and funded by the British Heart Foundation, the study involved 337 patients (86% men) who came to Hammersmith Hospital with ACS over 15 months and were randomly assigned to receive telemedicine or standard care on discharge.
The standard care group of 167 patients were discharged with medication and asked to go to their GP or hospital if they experienced any cardiac symptoms that caused concern.
The 163 patients in the telemedicine group were provided with a blood pressure monitor, a pulse oximeter and a 12-lead electrocardiogram belt device, along with training on how to use the technologies to measure their vital signs. They were told to send their vital signs to their specialist cardiology team if they identified results indicating a potential heart problem.
Using rules developed by the research team, cardiologists then performed a remote clinical assessment to determine the seriousness of the condition, with patients either being reassured, offered a non-urgent follow-up or advised to attend A&E or call 999.
Principal investigator Dr Ramzi Khamis, consultant cardiologist and BHF research fellow at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, said: ‘The approach we designed and tested is focused on sparing valuable time and resources while reaching a well-informed treatment plan for high-risk patients experiencing worrying symptoms.’
The primary outcome was time to first readmission at six-months, with secondary outcomes including emergency department visits, major adverse cardiovascular events and patient-reported symptoms.
The researchers found that the remote monitoring approach meant patients were 76% less likely to be readmitted to hospital within six months (hazard ratio [HR] 0.24; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.13 to 0.44; p < 0.001) and 41% less likely to attend an emergency department (HR 0.59; 95% CI 0.59; 95% CI 0.40 to 0.89) compared to those receiving the standard care.
What’s more, patients supported via telemedicine had a 15% lower risk of repeat myocardial infarction after nine months, as well as fewer strokes and fewer unplanned coronary revascularisations (3% in telemedicine group versus 9% in standard therapy group).
The occurrence of chest pain (9% versus 24%), breathlessness (21% versus 39%) and dizziness (6% versus 18%) at six-months was lower in the telemedicine group compared to the standard care group.
For those who were readmitted to hospital, the average length of stay was half a day – a third of the average one and a half days in the standard care group.
The researchers concluded that remote monitoring after ACS could help to tackle pressure on health systems worldwide, and reduce emergency department and cardiology ward waiting lists.
Dr Khamis added: ‘The study clearly showed that sending vital information straight to cardiology teams, coupled with a consultation, led to seemingly better care, reductions in admissions, average length of stay and A&E attendance.
‘This simple strategy can potentially free up thousands of hospital beds and doctors’ hours across the country whilst keeping patients just as safe. We are now looking at working with the NHS and other healthcare systems globally to adopt this strategy and hopefully improve treatment for future patients.’
Earlier this year, an e-health programme for patients with high blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmias or heart failure was rolled out to patients at Amsterdam UMC’s Heart Centre to supplement their care and support cardiologists.
Previous research found that patients with heart failure who receive remote disease monitoring and consultations experienced short-term cardiovascular and mortality benefits.
