Clinical Trials Spotlight - Atrial Fibrillation

A New Device Hopes to Detect AFib in Patients Prior to Clinic Visits

It's American Heart Month! American Heart Month is a federally designated event to remind Americans to focus on their cardiovascular wellbeing. More than 2,300 Americans die of cardiovascular disease every day. The Heart, Vessel, & Blood Clinical Trials Support Unit (HVB CTSU) at Michigan Medicine is actively supporting studies to improve patient heart health! One such study with the HVB CTSU lead by Dr. Hamid Ghanbari, involves patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (AFib) and is working to connect symptoms directly to AFib episodes using the Preventice BodyGuardian Heart. 

AFib is a quivering or irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) that can lead to blood clots, stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications. Approximately 2.7 million Americans are living with AFib.  

The wireless remote monitoring system used in this study is hoping to detect AFib in patients prior to clinic visits. 

"Physicians only get a snapshot of the patient's condition in clinic," said HVB CTSU Clinical Research Coordinator, Jordan Grambush. "However, by using the BodyGuardian Heart, patients and physicians can get a better idea of how this diagnoses manifests in everyday life."

Additionally, the BodyGuardian Heart will allow physicians to have a better idea of when and how often a patient experiences AFib and what symptoms are associated with the event.

Currently, there are 12 subjects enrolled in the study with hopes of obtaining 20 subjects. Click here to learn more about the pilot study.