DGAP-News  1068  0 Kommentare Geratherm Medical AG: New SRA Technology detects atrial fibrillation at an early stage and prevents strokes

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Corporate News

New SRA Technology detects atrial fibrillation at an early stage and
prevents strokes

- Results of a multicenter study including 225 participants just
published. Study Sponsor: Sanofi-Aventis, Study conduction: Cardiology
Platform Hessen

- SRA-Technology from apoplex medical convinces in the detection of
paroxysmal atrial fibrillation - information about a risk for a
threatening stroke prepares the way for early diagnose and preventive
measures

Apoplex, Geratherm, Pirmasens, 3 March 2014. Cardiological practices in
Hessen investigated in a multicenter study including 225 participants over
three years the use of a SRA (Stroke Risk Analysis)-based ECG analysis for
paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. The SRA-procedure developed by apoplex
medical technologies GmbH, Pirmasens, analyses ECG data fully automatic
with the goal, to detect atrial fibrillation at an early stage for
preventing threatening strokes by applying appropriate therapeutic
measures.

The results of the study were published on 28 February 2014 by the journal
PLOS ONE in San Francisco, USA. The study, sponsored by Sanofi-Aventis,
compares conventional ECG examinations with the SRA procedure under
conditions of the daily routine in doctor's practices. In 23 from 54
patients without fibrillation episodes, SRA detected a risk for paroxysmal
atrial fibrillation (sensitivity 42.6%, specificity 99.0%). Conventional
ECG analysis did not indicate atrial fibrillation in these cases.
Cardiologically confirmed fibrillation episodes were detected with a
sensitivity of 99.2% and a specificity of 99.2%. With these results in the
context of a cardiological study, the SRA-technology has impressively
proven its excellent performance to detect unknown paroxysmal atrial
fibrillation.

Background: the high risk for stroke caused by undetected atrial
fibrillation causes preventive measures. This implies the detection of the
unpredictable paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. Whereas conventional ECG
analysis is only successful in the case of present fibrillation episodes,
the SRA-technology gives specific hints even in the absence of acute
fibrillation. This enables a targeted search for fibrillation episodes and
a subsequent appropriate therapy.