Breaking Barriers: Cardiac Care is transcending to a digital future – ETHealthworld.com

An army of digital health technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered gadgets like digital stethoscope, electronic tattoos which monitor vitals, miniscule sensors, and smartwatches tracking heartbeats are quickly transforming the traditional preventive tools of Cardiovascular Disease (CVDs). Experts pronounce that digital platforms like augmented reality will break the barriers and change the scenario of cardiac care. Cardiology is changing to be more about prediction and early intervention than treating after it becomes a full-blown disease.

In India, around 65 percent of total deaths are due to NCDs, of which around 27 percent are attributed to CVDs. CVDs also account for 45 percent of deaths in the 40-69-year age group. They strike Indians a decade earlier than the western population. They also have the highest coronary artery disease (CAD) rates, inform experts. Cardiologists believe that digital platforms are rapidly transforming the scenario by making healthcare more personalized.

Regeneration of Heart Care in the Digital Age

Data from digital wearable allows more precise analysis of the risk factors with a detailed visual impression of an individuals health in real time, Dr Rahul Gupta, Consultant, Cardiology, Apollo Hospitals NaviMumbai, said, The trend over the years of health markers such as blood sugar, cholesterol levels, etc. can give a real-time visual impression on the deterioration or improvement of the health status of an individual. Some platforms also help in tracking the diet with calories consumed and steps to be taken to burn them. The health technology solutions are designed and built on real-world data. Encryption technology ensures the security of data and legal provisions regarding privacy of data are very stringent.

Commenting that innovation in smart diagnostic solutions for cardiac care is the new normal, Nitin Stephen Abel, Business Marketing and Sales Leader, Image Guided Therapy, Philips Indian Subcontinent, said, We are integrating different types of patient data at the (cath-lab) tableside to help interventional cardiologists decide, guide, treat, and confirm successful procedural and clinical outcomes. And we are also doubling down on our efforts to connect cardiac care teams to patients at home.

As per Philips flagship Future Health Index India 2021 report, Indian healthcare leaders appear to be adopting a three-step approach to achieve digital transformation in healthcare. The pillars of this approach include, investing in telehealth in the short term to ensure access to care and future investment in AI to drive operational efficiencies and partnerships with other hospitals or healthcare facilities to facilitate the use of these technologies.

Giving details about mobile devices, including smartphones or other wearable technology, with embedded sensors and AI, that will play an instrumental role in measuring and promoting physical activity and fitness, Abhishek Bhargava, Director, Cardiac Rhythm Management, Cardiac Ablation and Diagnostics, Medtronic India, said, Digital health technology promises to revolutionize healthcare as we know it today. AI, for instance, can substantially help develop further sophistication at every step in cardiac care, including research and discovery, diagnosis, and selection of appropriate therapy. Besides enhancing patient care, it can also streamline, accelerate, and optimize clinical research operations and reduce costs. Clinical visits and short-term monitoring have typically been insufficient in detecting issues, but the possibility of ongoing monitoring by mobile devices can help prevent strokes, manage symptoms, reduce hospitalizations and improve survival.

Experts mention the new-edge technologies like bluetooth-enabled cardiac devices, AI, advanced algorithms and predictive analytics, and remote connected care enable remote cardiac monitoring, quicker decision making, faster time to treatment, reduce time spent in the hospital, and lead to a potential increase in patient survival rates. They point that COVID-19 has leapfrogged the usage of technology to a new level and opened opportunities for making better use of data.

Informing that pandemic has helped the patients, healthcare practitioners realize and maximize the arising digital and data opportunities in heart care. COVIDs Big Impact on Cardiac Care

COVID had a detrimental effect with an increased number of cardiac diseases in India. The pandemic-induced lockdowns led to a change in lifestyle, especially with respect to sleep and eating patterns leading to obesity, high blood sugar and hypertension, which are all directly proportional to the increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). At the same time, a major change that was observed during the pandemic was the growing adoption of digital technology to access healthcare. It will be fair to say that the integration of digital technology in the pandemic policy was a striking feature to curb the pandemic growth and keep the mortality low.

During the first wave, the focus was on COVID. Due to fear of infection, people stopped visiting hospitals and this led to the existing chronic conditions and NCDs being neglected. Since heart disease grows silently, the complications are visible and symptoms start reflecting only when it is advanced. However, the period also saw a rapid growth in telemedicine, online consultations, digital health apps and patient-monitoring devices which helped in providing real-time data and led to continuity of care for many patients with NCDs. Without digital health, the situation would have been much worse, Gupta added.

According to a report published by Invest India in 2021, India's medical equipment market is anticipated to be approximately $10 billion. The cardiac care industry has a large population base, so there is still a lot of room for growth, and technological advancements are likely to help. The India Cardiovascular Devices Market is growing at a CAGR of 5.9 per cent over the next five years (2021-2026), as per Mordor Intelligence report

During the COVID-19 epidemic, telemedicine has progressed. Outpatient Departments (OPDs) and follow-ups in cardiac care have transitioned to telemedicine, just like any other specialty, with patients using telephonic or video conferencing services. A patient is only admitted to the hospital if a procedure (tertiary care) is required after a thorough examination of symptoms. The COVID-19 pandemic's global expansion has increased the adoption and acceptance of remote monitoring and other digital approaches to cardiovascular disease therapy, Mishra added.

Mishra, further listing out the latest technologies, stated that AI, blockchain, Alexa capabilities, and chatbots are some of the new cardiac technologies that doctors are exploring right now. Technologies like Amplatzer Piccolo Occluder in India is the world's first medical device for treating patent ductus arteriosus, or PDA, that can be implanted in the youngest babies (weighing as low as 700 gms) via a minimally invasive process. Another invocation is the clip delivery system, a minimally invasive heart valve repair device to treat mitral regurgitation in India. The clip device repairs leaky mitral valves without open-heart surgery and is delivered to the heart through a vein in the leg. Recently implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and cardiac resynchronisation therapy defibrillator (CRT-D) devices were introduced in India by Abbott, which brought the most advanced heart rhythm management capabilities. There are several new introductions of technologies in the field of cardiovascular treatments.

Although, the adoption of digital technologies in healthcare is encouraging, challenges with data management (65 percent) and lack of its interoperability across the technological systems (55 percent), are seen as the top barriers for a seamless workflow and superior patient experience, indicates Future Health Index India 2021 report.

Experts cite that though digital health comes with a plethora of benefits, major challenges that tend to hinder its widespread adoption include concerns over data quality and robustness, patient safety and privacy, ease of use, and accessibility.

Digital Interventions to foster Cardiac Care Outcomes

The medical device companies and cardiologists are affirmative that digital health interventions can reduce cardiovascular disease outcomes and improve some risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

If it is hospital or home healthcare delivery anytime, anywhere is the ultimate health management goal, on the cardiac front- using the digital streams -- we should be able to see improvements in the patient pathway, upgrades in diagnostic, interventional procedures and the emergence of telehealth for monitoring patients remotely. Cardiac patients access will be simplified using digital platforms through mobile phones i.e. from calling an ambulance on time, to sharing updated patient records immediately or to evaluating clinical options with multiple sources, there would be more and more options all centred around the patient, Abel added.

Experts foresee that on cardiac diagnostics and interventions, front procedures have been done without X-rays building on digital strengths or integrating VR with 3D-coloured augmented images to do procedures in a more predictable way. The current AI-enabled clinical applications being a more routine way to decide, guide and treat everyday clinical procedures. Wearables and mobile phones will continue to become more sophisticated in the way telehealth is managed. Future technologies are on the brink of a revolution, as India Cardiovascular Devices Market is thinking beyond the realm of current possibility, life-changing smart innovations in cardiac care are on the horizon.

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Breaking Barriers: Cardiac Care is transcending to a digital future - ETHealthworld.com