Remote digital monitoring significantly reduced average blood pressure from 155/87 mmHg at baseline to 127/78 mmHg over 15 weeks among engaged participants.
Does remote digital monitoring improve blood pressure control in patients recently discharged after a stroke or TIA?
Remote digital monitoring is feasible and associated with achieving target blood pressures in patients recently discharged after stroke or TIA, though patient engagement remains a challenge.
Absolute Event Rate: 0% vs 0%
Introduction: Prior stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) markedly increase the risk of stroke recurrence. Blood pressure (BP) control is central to secondary prevention, yet post-discharge management is often inadequate. Remote digital monitoring (RDM) offers a potential strategy to improve BP management. We evaluated BP using a commercially available RDM in patients recently discharged from an inpatient stroke. We report here the blood pressure outcomes and that the outcomes met standard post-stroke guidelines. Methods: In this prospective, single-center study, 60 patients diagnosed with stroke (ischemic or hemorrhagic) or TIA and discharged home were enrolled. The study was funded by Harman, which also provided equipment. Each participant received an RDM kit with a Samsung Galaxy tablet, FDA-approved Bluetooth BP cuff, and Samsung smartwatch for HR and step tracking. Patients were instructed to measure BP daily and were contacted at weeks 1, 4, and 8 for engagement assessment. Data were transmitted to a cloud-based platform accessible to clinicians. In this study both feasibility and exploratory outcomes were evaluated. Here we analyze blood pressure trends and duration of follow-up measurements. Results: The mean age was 57 years, and 58% were women. Qualifying events included ischemic stroke (n=41, 68.3%), hemorrhagic stroke (n=13, 28%), and TIA (n=6, 10%). Forty-four patients engaged with the RDM platform; 16/60 (27%) did not use the equipment as instructed after hospital discharge. Among participants who transmitted data, average BP decreased significantly compared to baseline values at the time of stroke admission (155/87 mmHg). After two weeks of monitoring, mean BP was 128/79 mmHg, and over the full 15-week monitoring period, average BP was 127/78 mmHg. Twenty-four (55%) participants who engaged with the platform continued to monitor BP up to 10 weeks after discharge. Conclusion: This study correlates outpatient BP with RDM integration into post-stroke care. For those transmitting data to the clinical team, these results suggest that RDM can support the AHA life’s essential 8 and meeting post-stroke target blood pressures. This may enhance secondary stroke prevention by enabling consistent monitoring, reducing risk factor burden, and promoting patient engagement. Future studies should evaluate clinician and patient perceptions, long-term adherence, predictors for engagement, and the impact of RDM on recurrent stroke and hospital readmission.
Popli et al. (Thu,) reported a other. Remote digital monitoring significantly reduced average blood pressure from 155/87 mmHg at baseline to 127/78 mmHg over 15 weeks among engaged participants.