New Study Identifies Link Between Atrial Fibrillation Burden And Higher Risk Of Ischemic Stroke With The Use Of ZIO® Service From iRhythm Technologies

SAN FRANCISCO, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- iRhythm Technologies, Inc., a leading digital health care solutions company focused on the advancement of cardiac care, today announced a study that found an increase in burden of atrial fibrillation (AFib) is independently associated with a higher risk of ischemic stroke and other arterial thromboembolism in patients who are not taking anticoagulant medication, even after accounting for underlying predicted stroke risk.

The findings were derived from a retrospective cohort study of patients with paroxysmal AFib found using ZIO^® continuous cardiac monitoring by iRhythm, and were presented May 6 at the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) Scientific Sessions in San Francisco.

The study, "Burden of Atrial Fibrillation and Thromboembolism Risk: The RHYTHM (Real-world Heart Monitoring Strategy, Evaluation, Treatment Patterns and Health Metrics in Atrial Fibrillation) Study," analyzed eligible members of Kaiser Permanente Northern and Southern California who underwent up to 14-day continuous beat-to-beat ambulatory electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring using the ZIO^® Service and were found to have paroxysmal AFib.

AFib burden is defined as the percent of time spent in atrial fibrillation during the monitoring period. A leading risk factor for stroke, atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia seen by physicians and affects as many as six million people in the U.S.¹ The study findings were derived by linking outcomes data from Kaiser Permanente electronic medical records with iRhythm's proprietary database of over 100 million hours of curated heartbeat data.

"This study showed that for every doubling of AFib burden, there was a 33% increased risk of thromboembolism that was independent of other stroke risk factors," said Dr. Alan Go, Chief, Cardiovascular and Metabolic Conditions Research at Kaiser Permanente. "The availability of data collected from continuous, ECG monitoring allows for more comprehensive identification of AFib burden which in turn can help at-risk patients and their providers better evaluate anticoagulation treatment options," added Dr. Go. "Important clinical insights were derived by utilizing iRhythm's large repository of annotated, continuous ECG recordings and analytic platform combined with detailed electronic health records."

The ZIO^® Service has been clinically proven to enhance clinical decision making and potentially lower healthcare costs.

About iRhythm Technologies, Inc.
iRhythm is a commercial-stage digital health care company focused on cardiac arrhythmia detection. The company combines wearable biosensor devices with cloud-based technology to improve how heart arrhythmias are diagnosed and managed. iRhythm's digital health technology and diagnostic support services provide clear, actionable information for physicians, and are clinically proven to enhance clinical decision making. Its flagship solution, the ZIO Service, offers a proven approach to continuous ECG monitoring for up to 14 days. The ZIO Service may enable physicians to diagnose arrhythmias earlier in the clinical pathway in order to improve patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs. The ZIO Service has been used with over 400,000 patients at nearly 1,000 institutions across the U.S., making use of over 100 million hours of heartbeat data from continuous ECG recordings. For more information, please visit www.irhythmtech.com.

¹Circulation. 2015;131:e29-e322. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2015 Update.

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SOURCE iRhythm Technologies, Inc.

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