Remote Monitoring

Remote cardiac monitoring technologies enable patient health to be tracked outside the clinical setting. It can be used for longer term monitoring to help diagnosis arrhythmias or other cardiac conditions. Remote monitoring also can keep tabs on chronic conditions such as heart failure or hypertension and alert clinicians to worsening symptoms to avoid an acute care episode or hospitalization.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a new warning against the use of watches, rings and other devices that claim to measure blood glucose levels without piercing the skin. These unapproved devices come from “dozens of companies” and are sold “under multiple brand names.”

AFib screening using wearable devices found to be cost-effective for patients as young as 50

While current guidelines endorse screening for people aged 65 and above, a massive simulation published in JAMA Health Forum suggests that cost-effectiveness may extend to even younger age groups.

August 12, 2022
Bodyport, a San Francisco-based healthcare technology company focused on detecting cardiovascular disease, has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance for a new digital scale that can help monitor fluid retention and enable earlier interventions in heart failure management.

Cardiac scale gains FDA clearance, putting patients 1 step away from a heart assessment

The newly cleared device works like a traditional scale, but it captures more data than just the user's weight. 

August 9, 2022
The KardiaBand device from AliveCor is a more reliable tool for identifying atrial fibrillation (AFib) than the Apple Watch 4, according to a new head-to-head analysis published in JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology.

KardiaBand outperforms Apple Watch in diagnosing AFib, but a cardiologist’s perspective is still crucial

The study's authors noted that the ECG acquisition technology in these wearable devices appears to be quite effective. The automated algorithms, however, could still be improved. 

July 8, 2022
Treating elderly atrial fibrillation (AFib) patients—even those who are traditionally ineligible for direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs)—with a very low dose of edoxaban is associated with improved outcomes, according to new research published in JAMA Network Open.

LVAD patients spend nearly 1 in 4 days seeking care — is there a more effective way?

The study's authors noted that LVADs consistently lead to strong outcomes, but improvements are still needed to reduce the burden on patients. 

May 25, 2022
Edward Fry, MD, is the 2022-23 ACC president.

VIDEO: ACC president shares his key takeaways from ACC 2022

American College of Cardiology (ACC) President Edward T. A. Fry, MD, of the Ascension St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis, discusses the first in-person ACC meeting in three years and the impact of COVID-19 on cardiology practice.

May 13, 2022
Blood pressure

Hello Heart raises $70M as digital therapeutics demand soars

Hello Heart, a digital therapeutics company that focuses on heart health, has raised $70 million in a Series D funding round.

May 10, 2022
Engineers have developed and tested a new wearable device capable of monitoring a person’s blood sugar, alcohol and lactate levels all at the same time, detailing their work in Nature Biomedical Engineering

Small wearable device monitors blood sugar, alcohol and lactate levels at the same time

Engineers detailed their prototype, which is roughly the size of a small stack of quarters, in Nature Biomedical Engineering.

May 9, 2022
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Veteran cardiologist Morton M. Mower, co-inventor of the automatic ICD, dies at 89

“I think he was the most brilliant person I’ve ever met," one long-time colleague said. 

May 2, 2022