VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PAI Health, a heart health software company, has been awarded the contract to develop the technology platform for the largest exercise intervention study ever performed. The study, called The Norwegian Trial of Physical Exercise after Myocardial Infarction (NorEx), will be undertaken at NTNU, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. NorEx is a registry-based multicenter and multiregional randomized controlled trial for secondary prevention and rehabilitation of patients who have suffered myocardial infarction (MI). The research involves ensuring exercise adherence of approximately 4,500 participants across Norway for a period of four years. The study will involve 50 hospitals, 85 personal trainers and more than 100 physicians. The NorEx platform will be launched in August 2020.
The primary objective of NorEx is to determine the efficacy of physical exercise using the PAI system on mortality and cardiovascular morbidity in patients with MI. The secondary objectives are to determine the efficacy of physical exercise on cause-specific mortality, cardiovascular diseases, risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, cancers, hospitalization, use of primary health care resources, use of prescription drugs, and to evaluate cost-effectiveness of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation in patients with MI.
Patients will be given Huami Amazfit wearable devices that will track heart rate in addition to many other biometric parameters. Data will be converted to PAI Scores as a measurement of their physical activity levels, with the ideal goal being 100 PAI for maximum risk reduction of cardiovascular disease mortality. The technology platform will provide researchers with the ability to monitor and engage with the participants in real-time throughout the intervention. System algorithms will also detect users needing support and the support team can quickly follow up.
The goal of the intervention is to encourage people to maintain activity levels at 100 PAI or greater over the duration of the trial. PAI (Personal Activity Intelligence) is the first scientifically validated and published score that prescribes a personalized, weekly plan for physical activity. It has been proven those who maintain 100 PAI saw a significant reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease mortality and other lifestyle diseases.
“The results of the NorEx study could potentially change treatment of heart patients all over the world, and we are delighted to have PAI Health on board developing the technological solutions needed to perform the study. The mobile application and web portal developed and managed by PAI Health will enable us to follow up on exercise adherence in 4,500 persons over four years. The contract strengthens the healthy collaboration established between the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and PAI Health over the past few years,” says Øystein Risa, Head of Department of Circulation and Imaging that is the host institution of NorEx.
“We are honoured to be selected as the technology provider for such an important, extensive study,” says Sally Powell, Chief Commercial Officer of PAI Health. “We look forward to learning the best practices for administering an exercise-based intervention program for cardiac rehab patients and the resulting health outcomes. This will accelerate our progress towards helping people optimize their path to better health through our proprietary PAI metric that has the promise of becoming a new global standard for physical activity.”
About PAI Health
PAI Health is a heart health software company that offers data insights rooted in the proven science of cardiorespiratory fitness. PAI (Personal Activity Intelligence) is the first scientifically validated metric that provides a personalized prescription for physical activity for optimal health. PAI allows organizations to assess and guide their people to better health through device-agnostic software is based on heart rate taken from wearables. The company’s vision is to become the global health standard for physical activity making PAI available world-wide through partnerships with corporate wellness programs, health platforms, insurers, and health providers. For more information, visit www.paihealth.com and click here to download the PAI Health app compatible with Apple Watch and Fitbit devices.
PAI Health Media Contact
Tricia Burton
VP, Marketing
pr@paihealth.com
About NorEx
The Norwegian Trial of Physical Exercise After Myocardial Infarction (NorEx) aims to determine if long-term exercise increases longevity and reduces the risk of new cardiovascular events following a myocardial infarction. The study is organized by the renowned Cardiac Exercise Research Group of the Nobel Prize winning Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway. Myocardial infarction is the most common cause of death worldwide, and survivors are at high risk of a new event. Physically active heart patients live longer than inactive patients, but no study to date has established that exercise per se prolongs life. A total of 13,500 patients (including a control group) will be included in NorEx, making it the largest exercise study ever. NorEx will use state-of-the-art digital solutions and scientifically proven exercise recommendations to follow up exercise adherence and motivate the 4,500 patients randomized to the exercise intervention.
NorEx Media Contact
Torunn Varmdal
General Manager, NorEx
torunn.varmdal@ntnu.no