Initial Real-World Experience with a Novel Wearable Cardioverter Defibrillator
Abstract Body (Do not enter title and authors here): Background The wearable cardioverter defibrillator (WCD) can reduce sudden cardiac death; effectiveness depends on adherence. A novel WCD designed for sex specific comfort and noise immunity has reported improved compliance.
Hypothesis Patient compliance with the WCD maximizes device utility in treating significant arrhythmia.
Aims Report WCD patient compliance and efficacy in a cohort with balanced gender representation. Evaluate WCD performance in minimizing noise artifact leading to false alarms and unnecessary shocks.
Methods Retrospective analysis of patients prescribed the ASSURE WCD at the Cleveland Clinic. Clinical data was collected via medical chart review. All device-detected arrhythmia episodes were manually adjudicated by a Board-certified Electrophysiologist. Detected rhythms that persist, result in an audible alarm notifying that a shock is imminent. A conscious patient can manually divert a shock. An alarm was deemed true and shock appropriate if the underlying rhythm was sustained VT/VF.
Results Fifty-five patients were fitted with a WCD. Median daily use 22 hr/day (IQR 13,24) and median duration of use 43 days (IQR 8,79). Female representation was 49%, significantly greater than prior reports of WCD experience. 4 episodes of sustained VT/VF were detected in 4 patients. A single shock terminated VT/VF in 2, while spontaneous termination of VT/VF occurred in the other 2 patients who diverted shocks. One shock for hemodynamically unstable atrial fibrillation with heart rate >200bpm was delivered and deemed necessary. No deaths occurred while wearing a WCD.
Of 163 recorded episodes, 62 (38%) persisted and triggered an alarm (Figure 1). 10 patients experienced a median of 1 (IQR 1,9.5) alarm during the WCD wear period. The majority (97%) of alarms were associated with a significant tachyarrhythmia, with only 3% due to noise artifact. No inappropriate, unnecessary shocks were delivered.
Discussion Patient compliance with the ASSURE WCD was high in this real-world observational study with equal representation of both sexes. The WCD effectively terminated sustained hemodynamically significant tachyarrhythmias, emitted few false alarms due to noise and resulted in no unnecessary and inappropriate shocks.
Syed, Zain
(
Case Western Reserve University
, Cleveland , Ohio , United States )
Phukan, Anisha
(
Case Western Reserve University
, Cleveland , Ohio , United States )
Gustavson, Laura
(
Kestra Medical Technologies, Inc.
, Kirkland , Washington , United States )
Li, Brian
(
Cleveland Clinic
, Cleveland , Ohio , United States )
Hazarika, Surovi
(
Cleveland Clinic
, Cleveland , Ohio , United States )
Syed, Qarab
(
Cleveland Clinic
, Cleveland , Ohio , United States )
Chung, Roy
(
Cleveland Clinic
, Cleveland , Ohio , United States )
Sharma, Navneet
(
Cleveland Clinic
, Cleveland , Ohio , United States )
Pattisapu, Anish
(
Cleveland Clinic
, Cleveland , Ohio , United States )
Kanj, Mohamed
(
Cleveland Clinic
, Cleveland , Ohio , United States )
Chung, Mina
(
Cleveland Clinic
, Cleveland , Ohio , United States )
Tanaka Esposito, Christine
(
Cleveland Clinic
, Cleveland , Ohio , United States )
Author Disclosures:
Zain Syed:DO NOT have relevant financial relationships
| Mohamed Kanj:DO NOT have relevant financial relationships
| Mina Chung:DO NOT have relevant financial relationships
| Christine Tanaka Esposito:No Answer
| Anisha Phukan:DO NOT have relevant financial relationships
| Laura Gustavson:DO have relevant financial relationships
;
Employee:Kestra Medical Technologies, Inc.:Active (exists now)
| Brian Li:No Answer
| Surovi Hazarika:No Answer
| Qarab Syed:DO NOT have relevant financial relationships
| Roy Chung:DO NOT have relevant financial relationships
| Navneet Sharma:No Answer
| Anish Pattisapu:DO NOT have relevant financial relationships