Seeking Medical Breakthroughs in Early Detection of #1 Killer

One in three people die of a heart attack! And yet regular testing is not performed by doctors to determine if everyone over age 40 is at-risk! Why? Costly. 

I've traveled the world the last nearly 4 years and have observed thousands of hours of cutting-edge diagnosis and treatment options to put into practice. And what I've learned is that early detection is critical!

An annual simple blood test known as a lipid panel, which measures basic HDL (good cholesterol) and LDL (bad cholesterol) levels is not enough. Not everyone with heart disease demonstrates dangerous cholesterol levels using the basic lipid panel. An Advanced Lipid Panel is needed to measure the size and number of cholesterol particles in the blood. But not all doctors are willing to perform this advanced panel on all patients as it's an additional cost, especially if the patient is not exuding life-threatening symptoms. Cholesterol in the blood is not experienced with symptoms until it builds-up enough to block arteries, resulting in heart attack or stroke.

(One segment of my journalistic journey covering one of the biggest breakthroughs in treating leg artery blockages, in partnership with TheInnovators.Network, is documented here: www.Mydabralaserstory.com)

That's why it's exciting to hear that investors are supporting Connor Landgraf and his EKO Device team in developing a low-cost, minimally invasive diagnosis device for early detection of heart disease. They just announced a $20 million raise. 

Venture Beat Article: Eko Raises $20 million for AI heart disease monitoring and detection solutions

Their approach is revolutionary and on-point using AI. It could make low-cost advanced heart disease detection accessible to all, which could reduce the number of heart attacks and strokes.

"Eko’s suite of AI algorithms, which Landgraf carefully notes haven’t yet been cleared by the FDA, ingest heart sound and ECG data to spot structural heart disease, rhythmic abnormalities, atrial fibrillation, low ejection fraction, and other signs of heart failure. Their predictions are delivered to a HIPAA-compliant mobile app and web dashboard, from where clinicians can manage, share, and livestream them during remote telemedical visits. The raw metrics feed into Eko’s patient-facing Eko Home, which enables patients to send daily heart sound and ECG recording back to their care team.

As Landgraf explains, heart sounds typically consist of two regular sounds — S1 and S2 — for every isolated heartbeat. Normal blood flow inside the heart is silent, but disrupted or turbulent flow causes the surrounding tissue to vibrate and produce an audible murmur."

Currently, doctors who believe a patient is actually at-risk of heart disease, use CT Scans and angiograms for diagnosis, making it not realistic to perform on all patients. What Eko Devices is efforting could make diagnosis as simple as waving a wand across your chest. 

While Eko Device's AI algorithms are perfected and successfully make it through the FDA approval process, doctors should perform a simple ABI Test, which measures the blood flow in a patient's legs. It's low-cost and as simple as blood pressure cuffs placed on the legs and the arms or even Semler Scientific has a device, QuantaFlo that makes it as simple as measuring the oxygen in the blood with a clip on the fingers and toes.

Did you know that three in five people who have a heart attack actually have plaque build-up in their legs, called Peripheral Artery Disease? One in 20 Americans have PAD and most don't know it until it's too late and they have heart attack, stroke, or are even at-risk of amputation. What if doctors performed these simple tests regularly as they do for colon cancer and breast cancer, which combined don't kill as many Americans as Heart Disease? Could we reduce the number of people dying of heart attack and stroke? Early detection could save lives if doctors could target at-risk patients sooner and get them on appropriate pharma and lifestyle regimes that could slow disease progression.

This month, #PADawarenessMonth, I launched TheWayToMyHeart.org, a not-for-profit incorporated in California on September 4th, designed to raise awareness about early detection and cutting-edge treatment options. TheWayToMyHeart.org's mission is education, empower, and engage patients for a healthier future. That healthier future depends on early detection. I hope all doctors work towards not only adopting cutting-edge diagnostics but also treatments that slow heart disease and peripheral disease progression to help people live longer, healthier lives.

 Disclaimer: The statements above are from my own personal experience and observation over the last nearly four years travelling through six countries observing heart disease and peripheral artery disease diagnostics and endovascular procedures, bypass surgeries, and amputations, as well as interviewing dozens of doctors. Readers must never use any content in this article to put aside or ignore any medical advice they have received. Do not delay seeking medical advice because of content you have read or seen either here or any other website. No matter what you read here or elsewhere, you should always seek professional help if you think you have a medical problem.

#health #healthcare #peripheralarterydisease #Vascularsurgery #heartdisease #technology #medtech