title: In-home controls of pacemakers in debilitated elderly patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We assessed the efficacy, reliability and cost of an in-home control service, devoted to debilitated patients with pacemakers, during long-term follow up.
  
  
  METHODS
  We admitted 802 patients (mean age 87.8 ± 6.9 years) with pacemakers into our program, which were monitored periodically during in-home visits by nurses. During these controls, patients underwent a standard electrocardiogram with and without magnet, during which stimulation intervals were measured. In-home pacemaker assessments were performed by a portable programmer only for patients with Biotronik pacemakers. Electrocardiograms and technical data were evaluated at hospital, and a report was sent by mail to the patient. Moreover, we compared the costs for the hospital, patients and society between in-home and ambulatory assessments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During 80 months of follow up, 2418 controls were performed. The monthly average of patients who were followed at home was 283.9 ± 23.9. The mean number of controls per month was 30.2 ± 10 (range 4-51). One hundred and twenty-three pacemakers were replaced due to battery exhaustion, after a mean device longevity of 7.4 years (range 4.9-12.4 years). Four hundred and sixty-eight patients died (8.7% annual mortality). Fifteen patients (annual incidence 0.3%) were invited to in-hospital visits for reprogramming. The cumulative cost for in-home assessment were 20.5% lower than conventional in-hospital controls and 66.5% lower if patients are transported by ambulance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Elderly debilitated patients can be monitored by effective and reliable pacemaker assessments at home, alleviating them and their families from the issues that are associated with their transfer from the home to the hospital and concurrently reducing overall costs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiologic, Thoracic and Vascular Sciences, University of Padua, Padua, Italy. franco.folino@unipd.it
authors.forename: Antonio F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Folino
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Breda
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Calzavara
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Migliore
authors.forename: Sabino
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iliceto
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Buja
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000191:economics / Q000628:therapy*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016330:Frail Elderly; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017721:Hospital Costs; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors