ICD Remote Monitoring Helps Maximize Device Clinic Personnel and Resources
Study shows more ICD patients embracing remote monitoring device evaluations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ann-Marie White
Heart Rhythm Society
(202) 464-3476
awhite@hrsonline.org

Lucy McDonald: (202) 306-3456
Heart Rhythm 2008 Press Room: (415) 978-3520 (number effective May 14-17, 2008)

SAN FRANCISCO, May 14, 2008 — According to a new study released today at Heart Rhythm 2008, the Heart Rhythm Society’s 29th Annual Scientific Sessions, wireless technology that allows evaluation of implantable cardiovascular electronic devices from the patient’s home is increasingly being embraced by patients and may significantly improve the number of patients served without requiring additional resources. The study is the first to show how this rapidly evolving technology can increase the number of patient evaluations without directly increasing demands on clinic staff time and resources.

The number of follow-up visits for patients with a cardiovascular implantable electronic device (CIED) exceeds 5.8 million visits each year, and will continue to increase as more CIEDs, such as a pacemaker, implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) or cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) device, are implanted. As the number of ICD implantations continues to grow, increasing the need for device follow-up visits, study results show that clinics should consider remote monitoring as a supplemental evaluation method for patients in an attempt to maximize clinic resources and provide better patient care.

The study, conducted by the Cleveland Clinic, tracked ongoing ICD device follow-up patient visits over a four year period. Each ICD patient was offered the option of in-person device follow-up or device follow-up supplemented with remote monitoring. The patients who chose remote monitoring were evaluated from home through transmitter use. Between 2003 and 2007, the total number of ICD evaluations increased by 164 percent, allowing for improvements in time management and overall utilization of in-clinic resources. During the study, remote evaluations increased dramatically from 94 to more than 5,000 patients.

“We increased our total number of patient evaluations over the past five years, without as much strain as seeing all of the patients in clinic,” said Elizabeth Ching, lead author and RN at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. “This growth is a direct result of the clinic’s incorporation of ICD follow-up through remote monitoring evaluations, allowing for better time management and overall improvements in resource allocation.”

Expert Consensus Statement on the Monitoring of Cardiovascular Implantable Electronic Devices Provides Additional Device Management Guidance
The Heart Rhythm Society and the European Heart Rhythm Association have released the first Expert Consensus Statement on the Monitoring of Cardiovascular Implantable Electronic Devices (PDF, 172K). The new consensus statement is the first to offer guidance on the management of CIEDs from the time of implantation until explanation or the patient’s death. The statement was released at Heart Rhythm 2008, the Society’s annual Scientific Sessions.

“As the complexity of ICD therapy continues to grow, clinics must have a comprehensive understanding of the proper procedures to effectively manage time and resources while offering optimal patient care,” said Bruce L. Wilkoff, MD, FHRS, chair of the Heart Rhythm Society’s Health Policy Committee and Director of Cardiac Pacing and Tachyarrhythmia Devices at the Cleveland Clinic. “The consensus statement defines best practices for device follow-up and will help ensure device management issues such as patient privacy and data security are addressed as remote monitoring technology continues to evolve.”

About Heart Rhythm2008
Heart Rhythm 2008 takes place May 14-17 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco. The meeting is the most comprehensive educational event on heart rhythm disorders, offering 250 educational opportunities in multiple formats. The world’s most renowned scientists and physicians will present a wide range of heart rhythm topics including advances in statins, cardiac resynchronization therapy, catheter ablation, cardiac pacing and heart failure and the latest technology, including state-of-the-art pacemakers and defibrillators.