Key result
AF-HEART mHealth intervention shows feasibility for remote tracking, weight loss, and symptom reduction in AF.
Why the study?
Personalized treatment of AF risk factors using mHealth and telehealth may improve patient outcomes, but the feasibility of such an intervention required assessment.
Does the AF-HEART mHealth and telehealth intervention improve remote tracking, weight loss, AF symptoms, and quality of life in patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing rhythm control therapy?
Does the AF-HEART mHealth and telehealth intervention improve remote tracking, weight loss, AF symptoms, and quality of life in patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing rhythm control therapy?
This pilot study demonstrates the feasibility of a comprehensive mHealth and telehealth risk factor management program to achieve weight loss, reduce symptoms, and improve quality of life in patients with atrial fibrillation.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
AF-HEART supports mHealth feasibility for AF tracking; hypothesis-generating and requires randomized confirmation before practice change.
Background Personalized treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) risk factors using mHealth and telehealth may improve patient outcomes. Objective The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of the A trial F ibrillation He lping A ddress Care with R emote T echnology (AF-HEART) intervention on the following patient outcomes: (1) heart rhythm tracking; (2) weight, alcohol, blood pressure (BP), and sleep apnea reduction; (3) AF symptom reduction; and (4) quality-of-life (QOL) improvement. Methods A total of 20 patients with AF undergoing antiarrhythmic therapy, cardioversion , and/or catheter ablation were enrolled and followed for 6 months. The AF-HEART intervention included remote heart rhythm, weight, and BP tracking; televisits with a dietician focusing on AF risk factors; and referrals for sleep apnea and hypertension treatment. Results Patients transmitted a median of 181 rhythm recordings during the 6-month follow-up period. Patients lost an average of 3.5 kilograms at 6 months ( P = .005). Patients had improved SF-12 scores ( P = .01), AFSS score ( P = .01), EQ-5D score ( P = .006), and AFEQT Global Score ( P = .03). There was significant correlation between weight loss and decrease in symptom severity (r = -0.45, P = .05), and between % weight loss and decrease in symptom severity (r = -0.49, P = .03). Conclusion This study described the feasibility of the AF-HEART intervention for (1) consistent remote tracking of heart rhythm, weight, and BP; (2) achievement of weight loss; (3) reduction of symptoms; and (4) improvement in QOL. Expansion to a larger randomized study is planned.
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Mitrani et al. (2021) studied Atrial fibrillation (n=20). AF-HEART mHealth and telehealth risk factor management intervention was evaluated on Feasibility of heart rhythm tracking; weight, alcohol, BP, and sleep apnea reduction; AF symptom reduction; and QOL improvement (p=0.005). The AF-HEART mHealth intervention resulted in an average weight loss of 3.5 kg (P=.005) and improved AF symptom and quality-of-life scores at 6 months.
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