Maisense, a start-up company specialising in stroke prevention, has recently introduced an AI-based solution that can screen stroke through early detection of atrial fibrillation (AF), that will also be presented at MEDICA (12–15 November, Düssledorf, Germany).
Patients with AF have a fivefold increase in risk of stroke compared to those without. It affects 4.5 million people living in the European Union, and accounts for approximately one-third of hospitalisations for cardiac rhythm disturbances. The European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) released a classification system of AF-related symptoms in 2014. EHRA also stressed the fatal consequence even if AF symptoms are not noticeable to patient or they may not feel uncomfortable. “Since an AF episode can come and go, there may be many patients undetected and therefore they didn’t receive timely treatment. That’s why we take AF screening seriously as a key measurement for stroke prevention,” said Benjamin Chiu, CEO of Maisense.
AF is usually diagnosed on an ECG but if a patient’s symptoms do not occur while he or she sees his doctor or if they are back to normal at this point of time, the doctor would not be able to give adequate advice. As a result, Maisense presented the Freescan device and the myFreescan App, which deliver an all-in-one solution; utilising artificial intelligence for early AF detection, arrhythmia (bradycardia and tachycardia) detection, pulse wave velocity, and blood pressure monitoring in a single device. Users adopting Maisense’s solution can assess their risk level of strokes anytime.
From the patient’s perspective, the solution makes it very easy to measure and record all these biomedical signals at any time. Patients can monitor their own health conditions and take action at an early stage. Through the web-based Patient Care System, doctors can also be informed immediately when abnormal incidents occur—if a patient activated this function under doctor-patient privilege. It also provides sufficient data for doctors to make assessment quickly. The option does not only help to avoid unnecessary healthcare spending and time investments but also improves the service efficiency.
As Apple announced its Watch Series 4, which can record ECG and has received FDA approval, it is believed that more and more people are noticing the importance of irregular heart rhythm detection. Maisense is the first company to provide an all-in-one solution to screen the top three causes of stroke: arterial stiffness, hypertension, and atrial fibrillation in one single device. Maisense’s Freescan has received EU CE medical certification and is now available in Germany.
