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Europace Advance Access originally published online on August 14, 2008
Europace 2008 10(10):1145-1151; doi:10.1093/europace/eun203
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Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2008. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org
The online version of this article has been published under an open access model. Users are entitled to use, reproduce, disseminate, or display the open access version of this article for non-commercial purposes provided that the original authorship is properly and fully attributed; the Journal, Learned Society and Oxford University Press are attributed as the original place of publication with correct citation details given; if an article is subsequently reproduced or disseminated not in its entirety but only in part or as a derivative work this must be clearly indicated. For commercial re-use, please contact journals.permissions©oxfordjournals.org.

Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators

Remote monitoring of implantable cardioverter defibrillator patients: a safe, time-saving, and cost-effective means for follow-up

M.J. Pekka Raatikainen1,*, Paavo Uusimaa1, Mireille M.E. van Ginneken2, Jacques P.G. Janssen2 and Markku Linnaluoto1

1 Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Oulu, PO Box 5000, 90014 Oulu, Finland; 2 Medtronic Bakken Research Center B.V., Maastricht, The Netherlands

Aims: The purpose of this prospective study was to investigate whether internet-based remote monitoring offers a safe, practical, and cost-effective alternative to the in-office follow-up visits of patients with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD).

Methods and results: Forty-one patients (62 ± 10 years, range 41–76, 83% male) with previously implanted ICD were followed for 9 months. One-hundred and nineteen scheduled and 18 unscheduled data transmissions were performed. There were no device-related adverse events. Over 90% of the patients found the system easy to use. Physicians reported the system as being ‘very easy’ or ‘easy’ to use and found the data comparable to traditional device interrogation in 99% of the cases. They were able to address all unscheduled data transmissions remotely. Compared with the in-office visits, remote monitoring required less time from patients (6.9 ± 5.0 vs. 182 ± 148 min, P < 0.001) and physicians (8.4 ± 4.5 vs. 25.8 ± 17.0 min, P < 0.001) to complete the follow-up. Substitution of two routine in-office visits during the study by remote monitoring reduced the overall cost of routine ICD follow-up by 524{euro} per patient (41%).

Conclusion: Remote monitoring offers a safe, feasible, time-saving, and cost-effective solution to ICD follow-up.

Key Words: Implantable cardioverter defibrillator, Remote monitoring, Usability, Cost-effectiveness

* Corresponding author. Tel: +358 8 315 3550; fax: +358 8 315 2127. E-mail address: pekka.raatikainen{at}oulu.fi

Manuscript submitted 25 February 2008. Accepted after revision 15 July 2008.


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