May 13, 2026- ZOLL® announced that insights from the LifeVest® wearable cardioverter defibrillator (WCD) helped physicians achieve better heart rate control in female patients – an indicator of more rapid beta-blocker optimization and an outcome associated with improved survival. These findings come from the Optimizing Beta‑Blocker Dosage in Female Patients Using the Wearable Cardioverter Defibrillator (OPT‑BB Women) study.
Clinical guidelines recommend titration of beta-blockers to improve survival in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), with heart rate serving as a measure of treatment effectiveness. However, women with newly diagnosed HFrEF are less likely than men to achieve optimal beta-blocker dosing, and heart rate control is often inadequate during the therapy optimization period.
LifeVest is designed to provide heart rate alerts and heart rate trends data, allowing clinicians to make informed decisions about beta-blocker titration, with the goal of achieving quicker optimization during a period of heightened risk.