Patients at Stepping Hill Hospital who have experienced minor strokes are about to benefit from a new electronic-patch, which will help monitor whether they at risk of stroke or heart failure.

Patients who have experienced a minor stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA) are seen at the hospital’s Rapid Access TIA clinic to receive appropriate treatment. These patients may be vulnerable once they have left hospital care to Atrial Fibrillation (AF), which can put them at a higher risk of further stroke,  and also heart failure.

The new ECG (electro cardiograph) patch or e-patch will help to monitor for signs of AF, helping to ensure more timely and effective treatment, and improved outcomes. 150 patches will be in place for patients who have been assessed by stroke clinicians as having the appropriate risk.

The e-patch is a small patch which is attached to the patient’s chest, which links to a monitor. The use of the patches is a pilot scheme which if successful may be extended in the future.

These patients would previously have had to rely on ECG monitoring which has a wating list of several weeks. The clinical decision to place the patch is made at the outpatients stage, without the need for a further hospital cardiology appointment, which also saves the patient time.

The pilot scheme has been supported by the Greater Manchester Neurorehabilitation & Integrated Stroke Delivery Network (GMNISDN), which was successful in its bid with the global pharmaceutical company Daiichi-Sankyo for a pilot on the Technomed E-patches in primary stroke centres including Stepping Hill Hospital.

Dr Shivakumar Krishnamoorthy, Lead Clinician on the project, said “The risk of AF is a key issue for patients who have experienced a minor stroke or TIA. Ensuring swift diagnosis of this is a key part of ensuring they get the treatment they need. We hope the new e-patch will be an effective way of ensuring this, and getting better outcomes for our patients, and we’re very pleased that Stepping Hill Hospital’s stoke team have been able to introduce this scheme.”