Stroke Patient Care Program

LifeWatch provides a unique Stroke Patient Care Program for monitoring patients who have recently experienced a stroke. This advanced, simple and comprehensive solution utilizes the real-time telemetry capabilities of the LifeStar ACT system.

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Each year approximately 795,000 Americans will year suffer a new or recurrent stroke, which on average, means that a stroke will occur every 40 seconds. A Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) is defined as a brief episode in which the brain gets insufficient blood supply and described as an incomplete stroke whose symptoms typically last for minutes up to a few hours. One third of individuals who have had one or more TIAs will suffer a stroke. 36% of those who survive such an event, the cause is unknown or cryptogenic.  Furthermore, multiple clinical trials have demonstrated the efficacy of chronic oral anticoagulation (Coumadin) in patients who are at high risk for recurrent embolic neurological events. However, Coumadin is not without risk and requires accurate diagnosis of Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation (PAF) before the initiation of therapy.

A recent study demonstrates that outpatient cardiac telemetry can detect asymptomatic (no symptoms) Atrial Fibrillation (AF) in up to 23% of patients who have experienced a stroke or TIA of unknown origin.  AF episodes as brief as 30 seconds may indicate more prolonged and clinically significant AF.1  A specialized Stroke Patient Care program utilizing LifeStar ACT technology to detect asymptomatic AF has the ability to accurately identify the cause of stroke and reduce the possibility of long term catastrophic effects.

Cryptogenic stroke is more common in the geriatric population, yet most cardiac event looping recorders present technological challenges for these patients, in particular with those who have a neurologic deficit. The ACT III cardiac telemetry device is a better choice as a diagnostic tool with a dedicated disease management program, as it can lead to more accurate and efficient arrhythmia diagnosis which is critical to the management of the cryptogenic stroke population.