Hello, my name is Malcolm Zuroka and I am a third year medical student at NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine. Today I would like to talk to you about our abstract titled Utilizing the BAR-DDx Low Profile ECG Telemetry Monitor as a Non-Invasive Diagnostic Tool for Cardiac Patients. So the BAR-DDx monitor is an easy to use, low profile, wearable ECG monitor engineered specifically to optimize P-wave signal capture and it does this because it was specifically made to be representative of lead II on an ECG. So this wearable monitor can be prescribed up to 14 days in patients with a suspected underlying arrhythmia. This monitor allows for improved differentiation between atrial and ventricular arrhythmia types which allows for a more clinically actionable diagnosis. In figure 1 on the left, you can see the BAR-DDx monitor correctly placed on the sternum with the inferior portion resting directly on the xiphoid process. Please note that the actual device is right about at the nipple line and it sits right in between the breast tissue which makes it extremely comfortable for both male and female patients. Please note that there are no wires or any extra leads and it is applied with a simple adhesive so it means it can be worn in the shower. Figure 2 right below that just shows you a rhythm strip from the BAR-DDx monitor highlighting optimal P-wave signal capture. So the objective of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of the BAR-DDx monitor as a diagnostic modality to determine if patients needed further cardiac monitoring, diagnostic testing or pharmacological or supportive treatment. For our methods, between July 2019 and January 2024, cardiac patients underwent a detailed history, physical exam and a baseline ECG. Patients who met the indications for remote monitoring were referred to telemetry using the BAR-DDx monitor. The indications we used for remote monitoring was just an initial presentation of palpitations, syncopal episodes or a prior history of arrhythmias. Patients were monitored for a period ranging from 2 to 14 days and the utility of this monitor was evaluated by analyzing the symptomatic events on the transmission reports as well as talking with the patients to find out what symptoms they were feeling, when they felt it, and if it lined up with any of these symptomatic events. And we did this to determine if further cardiac monitoring was required. For our results, in total we had 61 patients who were evaluated using BAR-DDx monitoring. The average age of these patients was 42 years old and we had 43 females and 18 males. 18 of these patients, so 29%, were recommended to have an ILR implanted. 16 patients, so 26%, underwent further cardiac evaluation, just meaning that they had more testing done. So like tilt table testing, they had an echo done, they had further stress testing, or they had a complete EP study done. Pharmacological therapy in the form of beta blockers was initiated in 8 of these patients, which is 13% of our data. Monitoring in 7 of these patients actually ruled out any arrhythmia that we thought they previously had, so that was in 11% of our patients. 5 of our patients were treated with supportive care, 8%, and 7 were actually lost to follow-up, so 11% of our patients were lost to follow-up. Right at the bottom, in figure 3, you can see all of this data just put together into a bar graph. So for conclusion, the results showed that the BAR-DDx monitor is effective at temporarily analyzing heart rhythm and correlating it with other symptomatic arrhythmias. Significant interventions were implemented, which further solidified the effectiveness of this monitor. The unique placement of the BAR-DDx, along with its low-profile design, makes it an easy, comfortable, and convenient method for recording extended external telemetry. One limitation of this study is its small sample size. Another is the fact that 11% of our patients were lost to follow-up. What we want to do in the future is redo this data, but just with a larger cohort, so that we can better understand the value of the BAR-DDx monitor in cardiac patients. Just want to quickly thank the Long Island Heart Rhythm Center and NYIT-COM for the continued support and the resources throughout this study. At the bottom right, you will see our references, as well as a picture of the BAR-DDx, and at the very bottom right, you will see a QR code that, if you scan, will take you directly to our abstract. Thank you very much for listening, and I'm looking forward to hearing your feedback and answering any questions you might have. Thank you.

ECG telemetry monitor

cardiac patients

arrhythmia differentiation

clinical interventions

wearable device