Three ways we’re working to improve the tools and information EPs use to treat patients

By Marlou Janssen, Vice President/General Manager EPD Solutions, a Philips company

As I approach my three-year anniversary leading EPD Solutions at Philips, I’ve been reflecting on my personal and professional experience with electrophysiology and arrhythmia, like atrial fibrillation (AF). AF is one of the leading risk factors for stroke, which itself is one of the leading causes of death and disability around the world.[1] ?A few years ago, the impact of stroke became personal to me after my father experienced one. My professional drive to help improve treatment of AF so that fewer people suffer the debilitating consequences of stroke is strong. To improve treatment, innovation is needed to reduce the stress on electrophysiologists and solve unmet needs, still not addressed by current technology.

Philips has been pioneering and innovating across a variety of imaging modalities, especially cardiology, for many years

I decided to join Philips because of its strength in Image Guided Therapy (IGT), which has been pioneering and innovating across a variety of imaging modalities, especially cardiology, for many years. Today, Philips is continuing its innovation journey by adding electrophysiology solutions into our cardiology portfolio to better support electrophysiologists and overcome the existing technology limitations they face. This integration allows us to harness our combined expertise to work towards innovating three key areas: improving procedure efficiency, supporting effective procedures, and reducing radiation for patients and staff.

Unmet needs in EP

In my previous blog, I talked about how EPD Solutions, a Philips company, is on a journey to disrupt the field of EP which has come a long way over my 25+ years career, and we are on the cusp of a transformative future for the treatment of conditions such as AF.?A person with atrial fibrillation has more than five times the risk of stroke,[2] which contributes to about 158,000 deaths each year.[3] That’s why Philips is committed to providing physicians with the latest technological innovations, customizing care, and improving patient outcomes.

Yet too often, electrophysiologists are still operating without all the information they would like

Treating complex arrhythmias like AF requires investigation to determine the source of the arrhythmia. Yet too often, electrophysiologists are still operating without all the information they would like. Decisions on where to ablate and for how long are usually made based on limited information because real-time tissue characterization and assessment have not been available during the procedure.

Ablation procedures are also physically demanding for the physicians and staff due to heavy lead aprons needed to block radiation from the X-ray system. Some complex procedures can last more than four hours. Ultimately, electrophysiologists may still not know if the procedure’s efficacy is long-standing. The unfortunate reality is that some patients treated by cardiac ablation need a second procedure, or sometimes a third, to resolve AF.

?Using our strength and expertise in EPD Solutions, IGT and cardiology enables us to approach innovation differently by accelerating the process and identifying additional information for physicians to advance real-time assessment of treatment therapies during operations.

Our EP innovation journey

With EP part of our broader cardiology portfolio, physicians now have uniquely integrated imaging systems and software supported by specialized diagnostic and therapeutic devices designed to provide optimal treatment during procedures.

To improve efficiency in the EP suite, Philips offers both mobile C-arms and our Azurion fixed lab systems. Our new KODEX-EPD system may improve procedural efficiency by creating accurate, real-time images that show a patient’s anatomy, during the procedure. These efficiencies have the potential to reduce procedure time and fluoroscopy, depending on workflow.

Our KODEX-EPD innovation journey has set the stage for an exciting future

We’re also helping physicians obtain more precise insights that enable more effective procedures when patients aren’t good candidates for anesthesia. VeriSight Pro, for example, provides excellent 3D intracardiac echo imaging without the need for 3DTEE (transesophageal echocardiography), reducing the need for anesthesia during Left Atrial Appendage procedures.

VeriSight Pro and KODEX-EPD both help reduce X-ray exposure during a wide range of EP procedures, which is important to improve patient and staff safety.

We’re also working to help patients to identify troubling arrhythmias, even if they are asymptomatic. With Philip’s recent acquisition of BioTelemetry, Inc., the leading provider of remote cardiac monitoring diagnostic services, we’re able to help physicians make confident diagnoses that we hope will improve lives while reducing the cost of care.

Our KODEX-EPD innovation journey has set the stage for an exciting future. We’re continuing to look for additional ways to innovate KODEX-EPD, for example, so that one day physicians will be able to assess tissue characteristics in real-time so that they can finally “see” the lesion effect, while ablating, giving them the ability to assess the effectiveness of the lesions they create during the procedure.

Innovating to improve the standard of care

With EP solutions a part of the cardiology portfolio at Philips, we’re able to offer physicians more flexibility than ever before and help them deliver successful outcomes and potentially reduce repeat procedures for their patients. Philips continues to deliver on the quadruple aim; improving patient experience, outcomes, staff experience and cost.

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References

[1] https://www.uscjournal.com/articles/identification-patients-risk-stroke-af#:~:text=Non%2Dvalvular%20AF%20increases%20the%20risk%20of%20stroke%20by%20nearly%20fivefold.&text=However%2C%20the%20risk%20of%20stroke,important%20therapeutic%20and%20prognostic%20implications

[2] American Heart Association. (2015). High Blood Pressure, AFib and Your Risk of Stroke. Accessed May 9, 2019.

[3] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death, 1999–2018. Accessed March 12, 2020.