Abstract 15223: Clinical and Economic Impact of Patient Loss-to-Follow-Up After Short-Term Cardiac Monitor Usage in Cryptogenic Stroke

Abstract

Introduction: Short-term cardiac monitors (STMs) are increasingly used in the work-up of cryptogenic stroke patients before proceeding to long-term continuous monitoring for atrial fibrillation (AF) with insertable cardiac monitors (ICM). However, the rate of ICM placement after STM is only 4-5% based on large real-world studies. The impact of patient fall-out after STM on clinical/economic outcomes is unknown. Research Question: The objective of this analysis was to project the risk of additional ischemic strokes and stroke-related costs with varying rates of patient loss to follow-up (LTFU) after 48-hour, 14-day or 30-day monitors, compared to an approach of continuous ICM monitoring post-stroke. Methods: A previously published Markov model based on the CRYSTAL-AF trial was utilized to project lifetime ischemic strokes after various monitoring strategies, from a US payer perspective. Patient characteristics and AF detection rates were based on CRYSTAL-AF: diagnostic yield with the initial STMs were 0.8% for 48-hr, 3.1% for 14-day and 6.8% for 30-day monitors. AF detection resulted in a change from aspirin to DOAC, with subsequent risks of ischemic strokes and associated costs (including acute + post-acute care) modeled based on published literature. Results: Increasing rates of patient LTFU after STM were associated with higher projected additional secondary strokes compared to an immediate ICM approach, across all 3 STM types (figure). In the scenario based on real-world data (95% LTFU), a range of 62-68 additional strokes are projected per 1,000 patients, with associated stroke costs of $4,928-$5,449/patient when averaged across the population. Conclusions: Loss of patient follow-up after STM in real-world CS patients is projected to lead to substantial secondary stroke burden due to undetected AF, compared to continuous monitoring with ICM. Future work could focus on optimizing stroke pathways to ensure timely and continued access to monitoring.