Transforming Patient Journeys in Sleep and Cardiac Health

By Alyx Arnett

Sleep specialists can increase their role in the early detection of cardiac comorbidities in sleep apnea patients. Sleep Review’s cardiology-sleep solutions column shares new technologies that can help. Email [email protected] with solutions you’d like to see featured here.

The paths of sleep disorders and heart conditions often cross yet are diagnosed and treated separately. But ReactDx, founded in 2022 by experts in sleep and cardiology as a division of React Health, merges cardiac and sleep diagnostics for an integrated approach to patient care.

The integration of sleep and cardiac diagnostics has lagged, leaving clinicians without simple diagnostic solutions and patients with long and often complicated treatment paths, according to George Koos, vice president of product and strategy of ReactDx. 

“Consequently, patients may remain undiagnosed or endure a frustrating experience navigating their healthcare journey,” he says. “By offering accessible diagnostic and therapeutic solutions, ReactDx aims to bridge this gap, ensuring timely identification and management of sleep and cardiac conditions for improved patient outcomes and experiences.” 

Key Takeaway: ReactDx offers an integrated approach to healthcare by combining sleep and cardiac diagnostics, aiming to expedite the diagnosis and management of sleep disorders and their associated cardiovascular diseases.

Unified Approach to Cardiac and Sleep Care

The vision of ReactDx’s founders is to address the unmet needs in cardiac and sleep diagnostics and therapy. It culminated in unifying several companies, including 3B Medical, Ventec Life Systems, Watermark, NovaSom, MediLynx, and Medicomp.

The ReactDx platform enables clinicians to prescribe home sleep tests or ambulatory cardiac monitoring through its portal or their electronic medical record/health record system. Clinicians can order home sleep tests and prescribe sleep therapy through their durable medical equipment providers based on the test results. 

ReactDx also offers clinical support through its affiliated company, Circadian Health, or one of its partners. Such support includes overreads, telehealth visits, and ongoing clinical assistance, says Koos.

This service is particularly beneficial for non-sleep specialists who wish to have their patients tested but cannot oversee the entire sleep therapy process, according to Koos. “This efficiency extends to cardiac testing as well, where we provide swift and effective testing along with any necessary support to expedite diagnosis and shorten the path to treatment,” says Koos.

Colleen Lance, MD, chief medical officer of React Health, underscores the importance of bridging the gap in sleep and cardiac care. “Sleep-disordered breathing sits at the intersection of several comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease, endocrine and metabolic disorders, and neurological disorders, to name a few,” she says. “Working within silos does not benefit our patients. React Health, React Dx, and their partners are working to eliminate those silos.”

Key Takeaway: React Health enables direct ordering of home sleep tests and ambulatory cardiac monitoring and provides clinical support.

Ambulatory Cardiac Monitoring 

As patients with sleep apnea face an elevated risk of developing atrial fibrillation and other cardiac conditions, ReactDx provides ambulatory cardiac monitoring services, offering Holter, event, and mobile cardiac telemetry (MCT) monitors that can detect arrhythmias. 

A Holter monitor is typically prescribed for 24 to 48 hours. For those who are asymptomatic or have less frequent symptoms, an event or MCT monitor, which can be worn for up to 30 days, may be more suitable.

“Our discreet monitors, worn by patients for up to 30 days, continuously record and analyze ECG data under the vigilant supervision of our medical team, available around the clock, every day of the year,” says Koos.

The annotated reports from each monitor offer the ordering physician an overview of the patient’s cardiac activity. Koos says this process expedites patients’ access to proper care compared to traditional referral methods, “which often entail lengthy wait times for specialist consultations and redundant tests.”

“By offering direct access to these essential tests, patients can undergo evaluations with ease. Should any abnormalities be detected, our streamlined process significantly reduces the time it takes for patients to consult with specialists and commence treatment promptly,” Koos says.

Key Takeaway: ReactDx’s ambulatory cardiac monitoring services—including Holter, event, and mobile cardiac telemetry monitors—provide continuous ECG data analysis for up to 30 days, enabling swift detection of arrhythmias and prompt consultation with specialists.

Future Innovations in Cardiac and Sleep Monitoring

Since the founding of ReactDX, Koos says the feedback has been positive. Clinicians express that the services seamlessly integrate into their practices, require minimal additional time from staff, and reduce unnecessary referrals. 

“Moreover, our process greatly shortens the time to treatment, enabling clinicians to deliver superior care to patients without imposing additional stress,” he says. 

Additionally, Koos says patients are more inclined to undergo essential medical testing when facilities provide comprehensive services covering both sleep and cardiac diagnostics, primarily due to the convenience and accessibility. 

Looking ahead, Koos says ReactDx’s research and development team continually strives to deliver new technologies to the market. A particular area of focus involves integrating monitors capable of identifying both cardiac arrhythmia and sleep apnea. “The ability to monitor longitudinally is key for following cardiovascular outcomes,” he says. 

Koos says the company envisions these advancements seamlessly integrating into its React Health therapy devices and platforms. 

“With the growing recognition of the intricate relationship between sleep and cardiac health, along with their profound impact on individuals’ lives, the demand for readily available solutions will inevitably rise,” he says. “These solutions must be simple and convenient for both clinicians and patients, delivering prompt and accurate results while promoting optimal patient compliance with therapy.”

Key Takeaway: ReactDx has plans to enhance technologies integrating cardiac arrhythmia and sleep apnea monitoring into therapy devices and platforms.

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