Results of the Second Phase of the GER-e-TEC Experiment concerning the Telemonitoring of Elderly Patients Affected by COVID-19 Disease to Detect the Exacerbation of Geriatric Syndromes.

Abrar-Ahmad Zulfiqar,Jawad Hajjam,Sylvie Erve,Samy Talha,Emmanuel Andrès,Bernard Geny,Delwende Noaga Damien Massimbo,Mohamed Hajjam,Amir Hajjam

doi:10.3390/jpm11111117

Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has wreaked health and economic damage globally. This pandemic has created a difficult challenge for global public health. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has necessitated the use of new technologies and new processes to care for hospitalized patients, including elderly patients. Our team developed a telemonitoring program focused on the prevention of geriatric syndromes, the “GER-e-TEC COVID study”. Methods: This second phase took place during the 3rd wave of the epidemic in France, between 14 December 2020 and 25 February 2021, conducted in the University Hospital of Strasbourg. Results: 30 elderly patients affected by COVID-19 disease were monitored remotely; the mean age was 85.9 years and a male/female ratio of 1.5 to 1.11 (36.7%) died during the experiment. The patients used the telemedicine solution for an average of 27.3 days. 140,260 measurements were taken while monitoring the geriatric syndromes of the entire patient group. 4675 measurements were recorded per patient for geriatric disorders and risks. 319 measurements were recorded per patient per day. The telemedicine solution emitted a total of 1245 alerts while monitoring the geriatric syndromes of the entire patient group. In terms of sensitivity, the results were 100% for all geriatric risks and extremely satisfactory in terms of positive and negative predictive values. Survival analyses showed that gender played no role in the length of the hospital stay, regardless of the reason for the hospitalization (decompensated heart failure (p = 0.45), deterioration of general condition (p = 0.12), but significant for death (p = 0.028)). The analyses revealed that the length of the hospital stay was not affected by the number of alerts. The results concerning the predictive nature of alerts are satisfactory. Conclusions: The MyPredi™ telemedicine system allows for the generation of automatic, non-intrusive alerts when the health of a COVID-19 elderly patient deteriorates due to risks associated with geriatric syndromes.

Highlights

An outbreak of pneumonia linked to a new coronavirus termed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first reported in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 [1]
30 elderly patients affected by COVID-19 disease were monitored remotely during their hospitalization, while 41 patients did not meet the eligibility requirements
We present the results of the comparison of elderly patients who survived COVID19 infection to the series of elderly patients who died from COVID-19 infection

Summary

Introduction

An outbreak of pneumonia linked to a new coronavirus termed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first reported in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 [1]. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by this virus, rapidly spread globally, resulting in a pandemic. The clinical spectrum of COVID-19 ranges from the absence of symptoms to life-threatening severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and death, making the detection and isolation of COVID-19 cases complex and facilitating the spread of the virus [3,4]. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has wreaked health and economic damage globally. This pandemic has created a difficult challenge for global public health. Methods: This second phase took place during the 3rd wave of the epidemic in France, between 14 December 2020 and 25 February 2021, conducted in the University Hospital of Strasbourg

Results

Discussion

Conclusion