Bellvitge University Hospital

AstraZeneca and the Bellvitge University Hospital plan to launch the first pilot program for the Cordio Medical HearO app. The HearO smartphone app provides widespread access to medical-grade technology for patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). It enables the patient to monitor symptoms, manage treatment and improve quality of life. Astrazeneca said the pilot program aims to assess the feasibility of using the app to monitor CHF patients. The monitoring takes place in both the hospital and at-home settings. It includes tracking HearO’s success rate of patient compliance and its ability to issue notices prior to heart failure events. The study takes place over a 6-9 month period. Previous and ongoing studies in Israel and the U.S. tested and validated the technology. Those demonstrated an 82% success rate in predicting a heart decompensation event up to 22 days before the occurrence. Astrazeneca and Cordio are “blazing a trail” “The pilot aims to familiarize cardiologists, nurses, and patients with the medical-grade digital system,” said Tamir Tal, CEO of Cordio Medical. “As leaders in digital health, Hospital Bellvitge and AstraZeneca are blazing a trail for other healthcare providers to efficiently implement the HearO app across unique healthcare systems.” HearO, a first-of-its-kind AI voice biomarker solution, monitors patients’ unique speech patterns. It detects warning signs of worsening or possible complications. The advanced algorithmic technology offers a cost-effective, easy-to-use tool that enables the detection of CHF patients’ symptoms before they appear. This enables doctors to optimize patient-specific treatment plans. “AstraZeneca is committed to advancing digital tools to diagnose, monitor and treat high-impact pathologies such as heart failure,” highlights César Velasco, director of Innovation and Digital Strategy at AstraZeneca. “Thanks to the collaboration across Spanish hospitals and health professionals, we are closer to making life-saving digital health tools a reality for millions with chronic diseases.”

WEDNESDAY, April 5, 2023 -- For patients undergoing single-anastomosis duodeno-ileal bypass with sleeve gastrectomy (SADI-S), weight control is the main factor impacting quality of life, according to a study published online March 15 in Obesity Surgery . Victor Admella, from Bellvitge University Hospital in Barcelona, Spain, and colleagues conducted a prospective, cross-sectional study with 234 patients who underwent SADI-S from May 2014 to September 2019 and a baseline control group of 67 patients who were planning to undergo SADI-S in the following four months. A total of 246 patients completed telematics tests. The researchers found significant differences in mean body mass index (BMI) at the time of evaluation: 50.8, 30.0, 31.1, and 32.7 kg/m 2 at pre-SADI-S, less than two years, two to three years, and more than three years after surgery, respectively. Over time, there was an increase in the proportion of patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms (17.9, 18.8, 26.9, and 30.2 percent, respectively). The percentage of patients with loose stools was progressively higher after SADI-S (17.4 versus 25.4 versus 30.2 percent, respectively). Improvement in both the Short Form-36 physical (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) was seen for patients with less than two-year follow-up compared with the baseline group (PCS, 51.3; MCS, 49.4). Mean BMI was 31.9 and 41.7 kg/m 2 for patients with PCS ≥50 versus <50, respectively. More patients with the MCS ≥50 versus <50 had a BMI <35 kg/m 2 (66.7 versus 48.7 percent). "Weight control is the main factor related to long-term quality of life after SADI-S," the authors write. Abstract/Full Text Posted April 2023