title: Telemedicine and cardiac implants: what is the benefit?
abstract: Cardiac implantable electronic devices are increasing in prevalence. The post-implant follow-up is important for monitoring both device function and patient condition. However, practice is inconsistent. For example, ICD follow-up schedules vary from 3 monthly to yearly according to facility and physician preference and availability of resources. Recommended follow-up schedules impose significant burden. Importantly, no surveillance occurs between follow-up visits. In contrast, implantable devices with automatic remote monitoring capability provide a means for performing constant surveillance, with the ability to identify salient problems rapidly. Remote home monitoring reduces the volume of device clinic visits and provides early detection of patient and/or system problems.
authors.affiliation: Cardiac Pacing and Electrophysiology, 9500 Euclid Avenue Desk J2-2, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA. varman@ccf.org
authors.forename: Niraj
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Varma
authors.forename: Renato Pietro
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Ricci
mesh_terms: D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000628:therapy; D017147:Defibrillators, Implantable; D018450:Disease Progression; D005544:Forecasting; D006295:Health Resources / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D018670:Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life; D020521:Stroke / Q000517:prevention & control; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000628:therapy; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000639:trends; D016526:Workload