ECG-Excellence: MORE TO SEE IN THE ECG!

PRESS RELEASE MAY 25, 2020
New Dutch ECG technology shows heart disease in COVID19 faster & distinctive.
COVID-19 patients are at an increased risk of (fatal) complications from cardiovascular disease. Some of these patients have pre-existing heart complaints, but another group develops inflammation of the heart tissue (Myocarditis) due to the COVID-19 virus. But timely identification of heart complaints such as Myocarditis and also Ischemia with COVID-19 is particularly difficult because the heart film (ECG, electrocardiogram) does not show a clear disease pattern. And making an MRI or CT is very difficult or excluded in COVID19 patients. As a result, diagnosis and therapy are often not optimal. The Dutch company ECG-Excellence has developed a new technology to assist doctors in detecting these heart complaints with the help of the ECG. “There is more to see in the ECG”.
The full press release can be found here


COVID-19 UPDATE (May 2020)
ECG-Excellence is developing technology which supports fighting COVID-19 in multiple manners:

• Early detection of COVID-19 cardiovascular patterns by applying our patented ECG morphology analysis technology.
  Just using 12 lead ECG data will support identification of cardiovascular disorders which are not easy to spot by just reading ECG graphs.
  12 lead ECG can replace echocardiography, is much faster (only 5 minutes) and reduces logistics time (patient movement, equipment cleaning) and our technology identifies issues before they turn into mechanical cardiac problems
• Early detection of cardiac disorders such as ischemia or the early phase of heart failure by applying 12 lead ECG at General Practitioner level. This can ease the burden of diagnostic capabilities at the clinic
• Detecting cardiac safety issues when using medication such as hydroxychloroquine since our technology is capable of detecting small ECG morphology changes in serial ECG comparisons of the same person. Our technology enables accurate replacement of ECG electrodes and thus supports effective  ECG comparison

INTRODUCING A NEW TECHNOLOGY TO INCREASE THE DIAGNOSTIC AND PROGNOSTIC VALUE OF THE ELECTROCARDIOGRAM

• Always accurate, consistent and reproducible ECGs
• Full clinical value for both cardiac rhythm and ECG morphology analysis
• Patient gender and diseases specific ECG electrode configurations
• Finally 12 lead ECG data can be used in machine learning and AI+

IMPACT
Positive clinical outcomes

• early detection of cardiac disorders related to ECG morphology analysis (no need to wait for echocardiography results)
• identifying impact of medication, sports and cardiac therapy through comparing a person's ECG over time
• enabling inverse modelling and vectorcardiography analysis to deliver deep insights in your heart performance 

READ (click on read) our founder's vision on the future of the ECG (article published October 4 2019, Escardio.org)

Heart related diseases are one of the most frequent causes of unexpected health problems. The electrocardiogram (ECG), invented 100 years ago by Dutchman Willem Einthoven, helps to find causes for cardiac symptoms. However over the past century the clinical output of the ECG has not yet reached standardisation. Variability in electrode placement, diferences in heart position/orientation within the Torso and difference in conductivity of the tissues within the Torso (blood, muscle, veins, lungs, etc) add up to variability in ECG output.
This especially hinders effective evaluation of the ECG wave patterns (the ECG morphology). For instance not applying the recommended electrode positions on the torso impacts the output data and wave patterns recorded. Cardiologists can not identify the difference between such a misplacement and a cardiac disorder in an early stage. THe result is postponement of the evaluation. In real life wait until the patient comes back with symptoms which are visible through other diagnostics instruments such as an echo (ultra sound) system. Since the electrical activation system of the human heart is most often the first indicator of a rising problem, waiting until the problem is mechanical and visible by echo result in late diagnosis and higher costs (in money and lives). ECG-Excellence, following the Dutch scientist Einthoven, now introduces ECG 2.0, a new technology ensuring a standardized output from the ECG recording.  ECG-Excellence triples the clinical value of the ECG!

Our solutions:

MORE2C G systems: Bedside hardware solution complementary to standard 12 lead ECG devices. A combination of 3D camera's, Led projection, additional marker on the torso and our operating software ensure always accurate, consistent, reproducible and repeatable ECG morphology which can be used for early detection of heart anatomy related cardiac disorders. The MORE2C G system minimize the impact of human handling in the ECG recording process but is fully aligned with the clinical work flow. The MORE2C G system support accurate replacement of ECG electrodes and thus support reliable ECG interval analysis.

ECG-Excellence Diagnostic Modules: Our unique software solutions which use the 12 lead ECG data to determine abnormalities in ECG morphology and the related heart anatomy issues. By applying inverse modelling technology and patented MeanTSI algorithms we support the cardiologists and GP's in detecting morphology abnormalities, cardiac diseases such as LBBB and RBBB, Brugada, heart infarct, etc.

Background information: Today ECG diagnostics is most and for all heart rhythm analysis. This type of analysis only looks at the intervals between peaks in the heart rhythm. Additional clinical insights can be found in analysis of the wave patterns in depth. The wave pattern details indicate the level of polarization and depolarization of the 2 billion heart cells, indicate how  the electric currents distribute across the heart tissue and provides inside in the level of synchronisation of chambers and valves.  However, getting clinical value from  analysing the wave patterns requires skills, experience and accuracy. And the latter is the weakest link in the measurement system. The key to the improvement of wave pattern analysis is reducing the impact of  variability in electrode placement. A small difference in an electrode location on the human torso  results in a significant change in recorded wave patterns. And this happens too often: in 50% (male) or 80% (female) ECG recordings one or more electrodes are not placed on the required locations. Cardiologists, lacking data on the electrode position, alas cannot evaluate the subtle pattern abnormalities in the ECG morphology. Result: Late diagnosis and/or late detection of disease only after symptoms are felt by the patient. And, given the variability no ECG comparision on a personal level is possible, hindering the option for tracking changes through time.       
                 
Technololgy and standardisation. ECG-Excellence combines standard 12 lead ECG recording with 3D imaging and novel ECG-Excellence algorithms. The system uses torso characteristics to incorporate patient specific electrode positions in the recording process. The system allows for using gender or diseases specific electrode configurations. This increases the diagnostic value of the recording. The system shows the nurse where to put the electrodes and checks the actual position versus the recommended position. We use 3D camera's to register the actual positions of the electrodes and our software uses the data to ensure the accuracy of the ECG output. First pilot tests have been executed by the ECG-Excellence team and show early identification of cardiac problems is possible and delivers yet unlocked clinical value.  Achieved accuracy and consistency of the ECG-Excellence hard- and software enables the medical professional to compare a person’s ECG through time.  And detect subtle changes between the recordings. Peter van Dam, co-founder of ECG-Excellence: “it’s our ambition and passion to save lives through enhanced ECG technology!”.
If you are interested in a bit of background on the underlying technology and what it can achieve please read this article publised in the Journal of Electrocardiology in 2017

ECG-Excellence can support:

• The early detection of diseases such as Brugada, Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy, Heart Failure , atherosclerosis (especially in female hearts) or cardiac diseases within the population of diabetes patients. Early detection often saves lives and reduces health care costs;
• The monitoring of the impact of cardiac surgery, the impact of taking medication/drugs/foods supplements and the impact of intense sports activities. And thus avoids unexpected strokes or death.

See our graphic video  to learn more on our company and our innovative approach towards the electrocardiogram recording. 

 
ECG-Excellence is not yet  available in the market. But we are working hard to make this possible soon. Our company is continuing the development and test process. We are happy to collaborate with leading Universities in delivering the academic validation. At the moment we are conducting clinical studies together with leading academic institutes in which we use our technology We are also open to discuss partnerships with organisations which care about the health of their staff and are open to collaborate in the role of launching customer. Please contact us to discuss the options.

ECG-Excellence, founded by Hans Slijp, Peter van Dam and Eelco van Dam is a company building on the results of PEACS, a Dutch based medical technology company with a passion to save lives through enhanced ECG technology. The founders have their roots in medical science, medical technology, cardiac modelling and simulation. Click here to reach the Peacs website.

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