Remote Continuous Monitoring in Geriatric Care

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Challenge: Standard manual vitals (spot-checks) in geriatric rehabilitation units often fail to capture intermittent or nocturnal cardiac events, leaving high-risk patients vulnerable to undetected arrhythmias.

The Intervention: Implementation of the Kensa Health Virtual Care platform using single-lead continuous ECG (Heartbook) and pulse oximetry (CheckMe O2 Max) to monitor patients 24/7.

The Result: The system successfully identified life-threatening Mobitz Type II Arrhythmia and chronic Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) in elderly patients, leading to immediate clinical interventions, including pacemaker implantation.

CLINICAL CONTEXT & OBJECTIVES

Patient Population: Thirteen geriatric patients (Ages 83–93) in a rehabilitation setting.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of continuous remote monitoring to improve diagnostic accuracy and identify cardiac disturbances that occur outside of manual testing windows.

Methodology: Patients were equipped with wearable sensors integrated into a cloud-based platform. Data was reviewed daily by physicians as part of their morning workflow.

CASE STUDY I

Detection of Life-Threatening Mobitz Type II Patient Profile: 89-year-old male. The Event: While the patient was at rest, the Kensa Health Virtual Care platform triggered a series of heart rate alerts. Real-time data showed the heart rate dropping from a baseline of 71 bpm to critical lows of 43 bpm and 46 bpm. Diagnostic Process:

Alert Trigger: The system flagged acute Bradycardia.

Waveform Analysis: Clinicians accessed the single-lead ECG waveform via the Kensa Health Virtual Care dashboard, which displayed irregularities consistent with a high-degree block.

Gold Standard Confirmation: Based on the Kensa Health Virtual Care findings, the patient was referred for a 24-hour ECG Holter test. The Holter results confirmed Mobitz Type II Arrhythmia. Clinical Outcome: The patient underwent immediate pacemaker implantation. Without the continuous monitoring provided by the Kensa Health Virtual Care platform, this intermittent arrhythmia likely would have remained undetected until a major cardiovascular event occurred.

CASE STUDY II

Detection of Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) Patient Profile: 83-year-old female (History of palpitations). The Event: The medical team suspected AFib based on patient complaints, but standard spot checks were inconclusive. The patient was monitored for several days using the Kensa Health Virtual Care platform.

Diagnostic Process:

Trend Identification: The system indicated frequent, erratic changes in heart rate over an extended period.

Automated Analysis: The integrated ECG analysis software processed the data, revealing that AFib sessions accounted for 51.68% of the recorded duration.

Visualisation: Time-Rhythm plots and HR Standard Deviation charts clearly mapped the transition from sinus rhythm to fibrillation. Clinical Outcome: The medical team confirmed the diagnosis of AFib. The ability to quantify the "burden" (the percentage of time the patient was in AFib) allowed for a more precise pharmacological treatment plan and stroke prevention strategy.

TECHNICAL PERFORMANCE & OPERATIONAL IMPACT

• Wearable Comfort: Patients reported high satisfaction with the finger-worn saturation monitor and the Heartbook ECG device, noting they were comfortable for long-term wear.
• Reliability: Technical findings showed a high correlation between Kensa Health Virtual Care wearable data and hospital-grade diagnostic equipment for both fast and slow pulse events.
• Workflow Efficiency: The transition from reactive care (responding to symptoms) to proactive care (reviewing 24-hour data trends) allowed physicians to make more informed decisions during morning rounds.

CONCLUSION

The pilot demonstrates that the Kensa Health Virtual Care platform is a vital tool for geriatric safety. By providing continuous, high-fidelity cardiac data, the platform bridges the gap between periodic manual checks and intensive care monitoring. "In one of the patients... a life-threatening arrhythmia was detected which would not have been detected if he was not participating in the study... possibly preventing a life-threatening event." As reported by the Lead Cardiologist at the Centre.

‍