Executive Summary
An arrhythmia refers to the irregular rhythm of the heartbeat that may cause the heart to either beat too fast or slow. Though the arrhythmia may be harmless, it is life-threatening to people suffering from heart diseases if not detected earlier. Management, monitoring, detection, and diagnosis of the correct arrhythmia is difficult, yet it is should be done 24 hours to reduce morbidity and mortality cases related to arrhythmia. It is for this reasons that iRhythm developed ZIO XT Patch, a wearable that is used to monitor and record patient heartbeats. This helps to detect arrhythmia and the development of appropriate diagnosis measures.
Introduction
ZIO XT Patch is a discreet, lead-free, and wireless ambulatory electrocardiogram (ECG) device that is attached to a patient’s chest to monitor the cardiac activity as shown in Figure 1. It should be worn for 14 days at all times regardless of the day’s activity. The patch has a button that a user can press to record symptomatic events.
Figure 1: ZIO XT Patch
The ZIO XT Patch is part of the ZIO Service that defines the algorithm used for recording and analyzing the heartbeat ("Irhythm - Why the ZIO Is Effective | Irhythm Technologies"). A patient wears ZIO XT patch for a recommended number of days. Once the monitoring period ends, the patch is sent to the manufacturer by a patient. A certified cardiographic technician will then process, analyze the recorded data, and generate a ZIO report (Health Policy Advisory Committee On Technology: ZIO XT Patch For Diagnosis Of Cardiac Arrhythmia). The report captures information such as the arrhythmia events, the wear, and analysis time in addition to the events captured by the patient. The cardiographic technician will then send the report to the patient’s physician. The physician will make a final analysis of the report and interpretation to administer the right treatment procedures or recommendation to the patient. According to iRhythm, aside from cardiology services, the ZIO XT Patch can be used in primary care offices, emergency rooms, and cardiology offices. It can be used to detect symptomatic and asymptomatic arrhythmias. When used accordingly with patient compliance, it can also be used to rule out certain symptoms such as dizziness, fainting or lightheadedness that are associated with arrhythmia.
An example of an arrhythmia that can be monitored, detected, and managed based on the report generated is the Atrial fibrillation (AFib) ("Irhythm - Why The ZIO Is Effective | Irhythm Technologies"). Atrial fibrillation is an arrhythmia characterized by irregular and rapid heart rate that exposes an individual to risks of heart failure or stroke among other complications of the heart (Garcia and Miller 236). AFib episodes can appear for a short time and disappear whereas in other instances a patient can experience it continuously. This necessitates for regular monitoring and treatment. A patient can use the ZIO XT Patch technology that can help in monitoring and generation of a report for use by the physician. Based on the diary and the patient-triggered events, the technology can record a patient’s beats per minute (bpm) and help compute the bpm average. Depending on the person’s age and physical activity, the bpm average will be compared to the recommended normal bpm. If it is above the normal level, a person will be monitored for AFib burden for three months. The ZIO Service algorithm will detect and record pauses.
At the end of the three months, the patch will be sent to the manufacturer for processing and analysis of the data captured. Statistical graphs showing the number of pauses per hour and time (day and night) of occurrence is then developed. The duration of the longest pause can also be determined. The processed information will be used by the physician to develop a suitable treatment course for the patient. Aside from AFib, ZIO XT Patch can also be used by physicians to detect ventricular tachycardia before implanting devices such as the Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator.
The data recorded from multiple patients can be used by cardiovascular technicians and technologists to identify common patterns and symptoms of the arrhythmia. The information can be used to educate the public to be on the lookout and seek medical services as soon as possible.
Works Cited
"Irhythm - Why The ZIO Is Effective | Irhythm Technologies". Irhythmtech.com. Web. 12 May 2016.
Garcia, Tomas B and Geoffrey T Miller. Arrhythmia Recognition. Sudbury, Mass.: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2004. Print.
Health Policy Advisory Committee On Technology: ZIO XT Patch For Diagnosis Of Cardiac Arrhythmia. 1st ed. Queensland, Australia: Queensland Department of Health, 2015. Web. 12 May 2016.
