Remotely monitored physical activity from older people with cardiac devices associates with physical functioning

TL;DR

This study shows that physical activity data from cardiac devices in older people is linked to better physical functioning and walking speed.

Contribution

The study demonstrates the clinical relevance of remotely monitored physical activity data from cardiac devices in older adults.

Findings

Physical activity was associated with faster gait speed and better physical functioning scores.

No significant association was found between physical activity and frailty status.

Reviewing remote activity data could help identify patients for interventions.

Abstract

Accelerometer-derived physical activity (PA) from cardiac devices are available via remote monitoring platforms yet rarely reviewed in clinical practice. We aimed to investigate the association between PA and clinical measures of frailty and physical functioning.

The PATTErn study (A study of Physical Activity paTTerns and major health Events in older people with implantable cardiac devices) enrolled participants aged 60 + undergoing remote cardiac monitoring. Frailty was measured using the Fried criteria and gait speed (m/s), and physical functioning by NYHA class and SF-36 physical functioning score. Activity was reported as mean time active/day across 30-days prior to enrolment (30-day PA). Multivariable regression methods were utilised to estimate associations between PA and frailty/functioning (OR = odds ratio, β = beta coefficient, CI = confidence intervals).

Data were available for 140 participants (median age 73, 70.7% male). Median 30-day PA across the analysis cohort was 134.9 min/day (IQR 60.8–195.9). PA was not significantly associated with Fried frailty status on multivariate analysis, however was associated with gait speed (β = 0.04, 95% CI 0.01–0.07, p = 0.01) and measures of physical functioning (NYHA class: OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.57–0.92, p = 0.01, SF-36 physical functioning: β = 4.60, 95% CI 1.38–7.83, p = 0.005).

PA from cardiac devices was associated with physical functioning and gait speed. This highlights the importance of reviewing remote monitoring PA data to identify patients who could benefit from existing interventions. Further research should investigate how to embed this into clinical pathways.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12877-024-05083-1.

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