Assessment of the clinical benefits of remote monitoring of cardiac-implanted devices: A single-center study in Japan

• Main Authors: Konomi Togo, Masahiko Takagi, MD, PhD, Kentaro Suzuki, MD, Keiko Maeda, MD, Hiroaki Tatsumi, MD, Kazuhide Takeuchi, MD, PhD
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2013-02-01
• Series: Journal of Arrhythmia
• Subjects: Pacemaker; Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator; Cardiac resynchronization therapy; Remote device follow-up
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1880427612001081
• ISSN: 1880-4276

Introduction: The clinical benefits of remote monitoring (RM) of cardiac-implanted devices have not been fully evaluated in Japan. We investigated the clinical benefits of RM in a single center in Japan. Methods: Patients with pacemakers, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD), or cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillators (CRT-D) were assigned to RM and non-RM groups. The outpatient wait times and times to notification of EVENTS that we defined sustained ventricular tachyarrhythmias, worsening heart failure, and inappropriate therapy for supraventricular tachyarrhythmias in this study, were compared between the 2 groups. Results: A total of 416 patients (RM: 61; non-RM: 355) were evaluated. The outpatient wait time was 17.6±22.1 min for the RM group and 35.6±25.2 min for the non-RM group (P<0.001). Seventy-seven and 306 EVENTS were observed in 38 and 256 patients during mean follow-up periods of 360±22 days and 429±10 days in the RM and non-RM groups, respectively. The times to notification of EVENTS were 8.1±16.2 days for the RM group and 38.7±33.2 days for the non-RM group (P<0.001). Conclusions: RM significantly shortened outpatient wait times and times to notification of EVENTS. Therefore, RM was clinically beneficial in a single center in Japan.