Press release
Malmö, September 29, 2017
On World Heart Day Latest Data Shows Heart Disease Remains Most Common Cause of Death in Sweden
To Enable Better Targeting Of Resources, Skåne University Hospital Starts To Use New Acarix CADScor ® System For Early Rule-Out Of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)
Today on World Heart Day, Cardiovascular disease (CVD), which includes heart disease and stroke, remains the world's number one killer. Each year, it is responsible for 17.5 million premature deaths, and by 2030 this is expected to rise to 23 million. In Sweden too, although there has been a decrease in recent years, cardiovascular disease is still the most common cause of death. The latest figures from Statistik om dödsorsaker 2016 published on September 6, 2017 (Socialstyrelsen, Art.nr: 2017-9-10) show that almost 32,000 individuals (representing 35% of all deaths), at a rate of 306 cases per 100 000 inhabitants for men and 331 per 100 000 for women, died from their cardiovascular disease.
Whilst this year's World Heart Day theme focuses on prevention thus encouraging people to know their heart and live a healthier life, there is still recognition of a need for improved early detection and proper allocation of precious healthcare resources. One of the cardiovascular diseases, coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the most common diseases in the western world. No easy to use method to detect CAD has hitherto been available. Hence, patients with suspected CAD are currently referred to special tests including stress tests e.g. exercise ECG that are time-consuming and they often do not produce sufficient information for an accurate diagnosis. A new device, Acarix CADScor®System is currently being introduced in healthcare as a frontline test to rule out CAD with high accuracy. The new test brings many benefits to both the patient and healthcare. If CAD can be ruled out this way, the patient does not have be exposed to the stress and risks involved with further tests and can leave the doctor's office with peace of mind. Furthermore, healthcare resources will be used only for the patients who need further tests, potentially also reducing waiting times for these tests.
Leading the way in Sweden is Skåne University Hospital in Lund. They have become the first user in the country of the Acarix CADScor®System. This easy to use device that resembles a stethoscope combines acoustic detection of turbulent arterial flow and myocardial movement with advanced algorithms to provide a highly accurate CAD-score for patients presenting with suspected symptoms in less than 10 minutes. This score helps to either immediately rule out CAD or refer the patient to further tests.
Prof. David Erlinge, Professor in Cardiology at Lund University and Head of the Cardiology Department at Skåne University Hospital in Lund sees widespread benefits: "As the latest figures show, dealing with Cardiovascular Disease remains a major priority for the Swedish healthcare system. In patients with suspected CAD, applying non-invasive methods should always be step one. Current non-invasive methods such as stress tests e.g. exercise ECG, are time-consuming and they often do not produce sufficient information for an accurate diagnosis. Thus, many patients are referred to further, invasive tests either confirming the suspicion of CAD or, in many cases demonstrating that their symptoms are unrelated to CAD. We therefore look forward to introducing this easy to use and non-invasive diagnostic device to rule out CAD with high accuracy for the benefit of both patients and healthcare. The aim is to ensure that only the patients that need to be referred to further, appropriate diagnostic tests get them and that patients with symptoms unrelated to CAD do not."
Acarix CEO Søren Rysholt Christiansen commented: " World Heart Day plays an important role in maintaining awareness of the devastation caused by heart disease to patients and their families and the need for the earliest possible confirmation of symptoms. We are very pleased with the roll-out of CADScor®System and we are confident that through his work with the CADScor®System at Skåne University Hospital in Lund, Prof. Erlinge and his team will make a real difference benefiting patients and society at large."
Contacts:
Acarix
Søren Rysholt Christiansen, CEO, E-mail: dksrc@acarix.com Phone: +45 2777 1112
Notes to editors: Acarix, CADScor®System and cardiac sound measurement Acarix was established in 2009, and since 2010 investors SEED Capital (DK) and Sunstone Life Science Ventures (DK) have supported it towards market introduction. Acarix was listed on Nasdaq First North Premier in 2016 and has attracted a highly-experienced management team having held senior positions in international medical device companies - CEO Søren Rysholt Christiansen with Cook Medical, GN ReSound, and ELOS Medtech.
Acarix's CADScor®System is based on engineering excellence in sound recording and signal processing. It has long been known that both cardiac contraction movement and turbulent flow can generate sound. Contraction related sounds are in lower frequency, whereas turbulent sounds in the streaming blood caused by partial obstruction (stenosis) in the coronary arteries are of higher frequencies. The detection of these murmurs is delicate, since the energy of the murmurs is very weak. Detecting and recording the coronary murmurs requires not only an advanced sensor but also means for proper attachment to the skin above the heart to optimize the recorded signal and to avoid external noise.
The Acarix CADScor®System has been designed to be an all-in-one system in the sense that the heart signal will be recorded, processed, and displayed as a patient specific score, the CAD-score, on the device screen. The CADScor®System contains the necessary electronics to instruct professionals during use and to guide through the recording periods. The system also contains a docking station for daily qualification of the sensor. Further the system integrates with an adhesive patch for locking the sensor to a fixed position above the heart during the recording.
See more at www.acarix.com. Press kit: http://www.acarix.com/about-us/press-downloads/ .
About World Heart Day
World heart Day is organized by World Heart Federation, https://www.world-heart-federation.org/
Statement from website, https://www.worldheartday.org/
CVD is the world's number one killer. Each year, it's responsible for 17.5 million deaths, and by 2030 this is expected to rise to 23 million. But the good news is that much CVD can be prevented by making just a few simple daily changes, like eating and drinking more healthily, getting more exercise and stopping smoking.
This World Heart Day, we're asking you to share how you power your heart and inspire millions of people around the world to be heart healthy. So let's make sure we all take action to keep our hearts charged and make a lasting difference to our health. Fuel your heart. Move your heart. Love your heart. And share the power.
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