Results of Four Studies Demonstrating Clinical, Economic Value of iRhythm’s Product Portfolio Presented at American Heart Association ’22

Rhea-AI Summary

iRhythm Technologies (NASDAQ: IRTC) presented four clinical studies at the American Heart Association 2022 Scientific Sessions showing significant value in their Zio® product lines for diagnosing cardiovascular issues. The studies highlighted the cost-effectiveness of atrial fibrillation (AF) screening using the Zio XT, reporting an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $17,000 per quality-adjusted life year. Additionally, data indicated that extended ECG monitoring improved accuracy in assessing premature ventricular contractions (PVC) and unveiled unexpected rates of AF in patients experiencing syncope.

Positive

• Demonstrated high value and cost-effectiveness of Zio XT for AF screening, with an ICER of $17,000/QALY.
• Extended ECG monitoring improves accuracy in estimating PVC burden significantly, achieving >95% accuracy.
• High diagnostic yield (79%) and unexpected AF burden (9.5%) found in syncope patients using Zio AT.

Negative

• None.

Clinical studies presented at the American Heart Association 2022 Scientific Sessions event demonstrate compelling diagnostic and health economic value of the Zio® suite of products across a range of clinical applications

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- iRhythm Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:IRTC), a leading cardiovascular diagnostics and digital healthcare solutions company focused on creating trusted solutions that detect, predict, and prevent disease, today announced the results of four clinical studies presented at the American Heart Association’s (AHA) 2022 Scientific Sessions in Chicago, IL. The studies demonstrate health economic and clinical value of the Zio^® AT and XT product lines across a range of diseases and clinical settings.

“The presented studies have important clinical implications,” said Dr. Mintu Turakhia, iRhythm’s chief medical officer and chief scientific officer. “First, screening for atrial fibrillation, based on the mSToPS trial, is cost-effective and can provide high value. Next, extended ambulatory ECG monitoring from our products, compared to shorter monitoring, more accurately estimates the burden of a common type of ventricular arrhythmia, which is clinically consequential to patients and important to get right. We also found that atrial fibrillation was an unexpected and important finding in patients who receive monitoring for loss of consciousness, which we already know benefits from Zio’s 14-days of ambulatory ECG monitoring compared to other diagnostics. Finally, we showed the potential for partnered healthcare system research with EHR integration, in this case for tailored care pathways for diverse populations.”

The mSToPS health economic study, titled “Cost-Effectiveness of AF Screening with Two-Week Patch Monitors: The mHealth Screening to Prevent Strokes Study,” evaluated the cost-effectiveness of screening for atrial fibrillation (AFib) with Zio XT. The analysis found that systematic screening for AFib in an at-risk population with the iRhythm Zio XT patch provided high value from a health economic perspective. Over three years, individuals prescribed Zio XT were more likely than unmonitored individuals to have outpatient visits — including to cardiologists — but less likely to require emergency department visits or hospitalization. The study demonstrated an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $17,000 per quality-adjusted life year gained — substantially lower than accepted willingness-to-pay thresholds in the U.S. and other healthcare systems — and the authors conclude that screening for AFib using Zio XT provided high value.

The ventricular arrhythmia study, titled “Assessing the Optimal Duration of ECG Monitoring Required to Accurately Establish Premature Ventricular Contraction (PVC) Burden in a Large National Database,” was a >10-year study between 2011 and 2022 that analyzed PVC burden in 25,793 patients. The study sought to determine if extended ambulatory ECG monitoring increased accuracy for estimating burden of PVCs, which require accurate assessments for actionability. The data showed that a 48-hour estimation of PVCs misclassified PVC burden compared to 14-days of ambulatory ECG monitoring. At least seven days of continuous ambulatory ECG monitoring, which is performed by the Zio AT and XT product lines, was necessary to achieve >95% accuracy in burden categorization. The findings are important, as misclassification could impact clinical decision-making.

The study titled “Near-Real Time Extended Ambulatory ECG Monitoring in Patients With Syncope Unveils a Spectrum of Arrhythmias and High Incidence of Atrial Fibrillation” utilized iRhythm’s proprietary database containing arrhythmia findings of patients prescribed Zio AT mobile cardiac telemetry for the diagnosis of syncope, or loss of consciousness possibly from heart rhythm disorders. The study of over ten thousand patients found not only a high diagnostic yield (79%) with Zio AT, but an unexpectedly high burden of supraventricular arrhythmias (69%) and AFib (9.5%) that are generally not thought to be associated with syncope. Most patients with AFib met criteria for an MD notification, highlighting the value of iRhythm’s mobile cardiac telemetry. A subgroup of syncope-indicated patients had an unexpectedly high AFib burden — potentially requiring a different treatment pathway.

The electronic health record (EHR) integration study, titled “Ascension Health System Experience with Extended Ambulatory Electrocardiographic Monitoring: Implementation of a Novel Integrated Approach to Better Characterize Disparities in Healthcare,” sought to determine the relationship of age, gender, and race for AFib detection in one of the largest private healthcare systems in the U.S. In 6,293 Ascension patients linked to Zio XT data, the study found risk of detected AFib was highest in older, white, and male patients; female, diverse patients below age ≤ 65 had the lower risk of detected AFib. The study demonstrated that EHR-linkage is not only feasible but an important step to generate tailored care pathways within a healthcare system.

To learn more about iRhythm, please visit the website.

About the “Cost-Effectiveness of AF Screening with Two-Week Patch Monitors: The mHealth Screening to Prevent Strokes Study”
Authors: Matthew R. Reynolds, MD; Amy B. Stein, PhD; Evangelos Hytopoulos, PhD; Xiaowu Sun, PhD; Steven R. Steinhubl, MD; David J. Cohen, MD

The authors conducted a health economic analysis of AFib screening with Zio patch monitors using patient-level data from the mSToPS study. Clinical outcomes and costs from the payer perspective were obtained from enrollment through three years using Aetna claims data. Study group participants (mean age 74 years, 41% female, median CHA₂DS₂-VASC score 3) wore an average of 1.7 two-week patch monitors at an average cost of $601/person. Over three years, individuals prescribed Zio patch monitors were more likely than unmonitored individuals to have outpatient visits, including to cardiology, but less likely to require emergency department visits or hospitalization. Pharmacy costs over three years were similar between groups. Total adjusted three-year costs, including patch monitors, were slightly higher (difference $1,170, 95% CI -1,315 to 3,657) in the monitoring group. In patient-level projections, the monitoring group had slightly better total and quality-adjusted survival (11.91 vs. 11.82 life years, 9.38 vs. 9.30 QALYs) and slightly higher lifetime costs, resulting in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $16,978/QALY gained. The investigators conclude that based on lifetime projections derived from the mSToPS study, AFib screening using two-week Zio XT patch monitoring provided high value from a health economic perspective.

About the “Assessing the Optimal Duration of ECG Monitoring Required to Accurately Establish Premature Ventricular Contraction (PVC) Burden in a Large National Database” study
Authors: Andrew K. Krumerman, MD; Luigi DiBiase, MD; Jay Chudow, MD; Ardit Kacorri, MD; Alan Wilk, BS; Lori Crosson, PhD; Kevin J Ferrick, MD

This retrospective multicenter analysis included patients undergoing ambulatory ECG monitoring with iRhythm’s Zio patch in the U.S. between June 2011 and April 2022 for any indication and overall PVC burden ≥5%. The mean absolute error (MAE) in PVC burden was calculated after 24 hours, 48 hours, and seven days. PVC density was more frequent in men than women and in patients age ≥ 65. The MAE calculated at 24 hours, 48 hours, and seven days were 2.96%, 2.56%, 1.34%, respectively, confirming the previously reported decrease in measurement variability with increased patch monitoring duration. The accuracy in categorization of PVC burden level increased from 89.2% at 24 hours to 95.1% at seven days. The findings underscore the importance of extended patch monitoring for accurate PVC burden assessment, which has important treatment implications.

About the “Near-Real Time Extended Ambulatory ECG Monitoring in Patients With Syncope Unveils a Spectrum of Arrhythmias and High Incidence of Atrial Fibrillation” study
Authors: Bobbi Lynn Hoppe, MD; Matthew R. Reynolds, MD; Mike Hsu, PhD; Alan Wilk, BS; Lori Crosson, PhD; Marie-Noelle Langan, MD

Data were retrospectively analyzed from 10,643 patients from U.S. institutions with a syncope indication for monitoring. Patients with recordings between July 2017 to December 2021 were analyzed. Arrhythmias were defined as: AFib, ≥30 seconds at any heart rate; SVT, ≥90 bpm for ≥4 S beats; Pause, ≥3 second; AV Block, any third or second degree AV Block (Mobitz I or II); VT, ≥100 bpm for ≥4 V beats or PVT, TdP, VF. Detected arrhythmias were characterized by duration, episode counts, rates, and/or burden (where applicable). Of the 10,643 patients studied (49% female, mean age 65.4 years, mean wear 11.9 ± 3.6 days), 8,442 (79%) had at least one arrhythmia detected, with 3,107 (29%) having two or more arrhythmia types. The most common arrhythmias detected in this patient population were SVT (69%; 7,365), VT (26%; 2,716), and AFib (9.5%; 1,015). AV blocks (3.6%; 382) and pauses (6.2%; 662) were not uncommon.

About the “Ascension Health System Experience with Extended Ambulatory Electrocardiographic Monitoring: Implementation of a Novel Integrated Approach to Better Characterize Disparities in Healthcare” study
Authors: Robert A. Pickett, MD; Jeffrey T. Ellis, PhD; Evangelos Hytopoulos, PhD; Lori Crosson, PhD; Mohammed N. Khan, MD; Kristopher M. Heinzman, MD

This retrospective cohort study included patients treated at 34 Ascension centers in six states between January 2020 and April 2022. Patient EHR data were linked to proprietary device-specific rhythm reports for analyses. Among 6,293 patients in whom EHR data were matched to Zio XT findings, the median (IQR) age was 63 (47, 73) years, 3,816 (60.6%) were female, and 1,038 (16.5%) were diverse. Median device wear time was 7.2 (5.0, 13.9) days. AFib was detected in 749 (11.9%) patients, including 326 (5.2%) with 100% AFib. Median AFib burden was 37.0% (3.4%, 100%). Older white males had the highest risk of AFib events, whereas younger diverse females had the lowest risk. Diverse subgroups demonstrated greater freedom from AFib compared to white populations. The study demonstrates the potential of EHR linkage with device-specific outcomes to develop tailored care pathways.

About iRhythm Technologies, Inc.
iRhythm is a leading cardiovascular diagnostics and digital healthcare company that creates trusted solutions that detect, predict, and prevent disease. Combining wearable biosensors and cloud-based data analytics with powerful proprietary algorithms, iRhythm distills data from millions of heartbeats into clinically actionable information. Through a relentless focus on patient care, iRhythm’s vision is to deliver better data, better insights, and better health for all.

Investor Relations Contact:
Stephanie Zhadkevich
(919) 452-5430
stephanie.zhadkevich@irhythmtech.com    

iRhythm Media Contact:
Morgan Mathis
(310) 528-6306
irhythm@highwirepr.com 

FAQ

What were the key findings of iRhythm's studies presented at AHA 2022?

The studies showed the cost-effectiveness of Zio XT for AF screening and improved accuracy for PVC burden with extended ECG monitoring.

How cost-effective is the Zio XT for atrial fibrillation screening?

The Zio XT provided an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $17,000 per quality-adjusted life year.

What is the significance of iRhythm's study on PVC burden?

The study highlighted that 14 days of ECG monitoring significantly increases the accuracy in estimating PVC burden.

What unexpected findings were reported in the syncope patient study?

The study found a high diagnostic yield and an unexpectedly high burden of atrial fibrillation in patients monitored for syncope.

What role did EHR integration play in iRhythm's studies?

The EHR integration study demonstrated its feasibility and importance for developing tailored healthcare pathways for atrial fibrillation detection.