Biotronik's medical device monitors pacemakers at home
Biotronik has introduced CardioMessenger Smart, a smartphone-sized home monitoring technology for patients with implanted cardiac devices in India
The device is part of Biotronik’s Home Monitoring Technology and keeps pacemaker and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) wearers connected to their physicians.
CardioMessenger Smart provides automatic transmission of information from a patient’s cardiac implant to their physician, including information about the patient’s health condition and technical information about their device.
Data is transmitted from the patient’s implant to the CardioMessenger’s transmitter device which uses T-Mobile and its partners’ global system for mobile communication (GSM) cellular networks to send data to the Biotronik Service Centre and then to the patient’s physician.
Biotronik said that CardioMessenger Smart provides consistent and reliable data transmission occurs both daily and when triggered by an event. A call back message for patients enables physicians to get in contact with their patients
Niraj Varma, electrophysiologist at Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, said to International News and Views: “Home Monitoring has helped reduced mortality, episodes of hospitalisations and inappropriate shocks and helped improve the quality of life of patients immensely.
“It has also helped reduce routine clinic follow up, which can be a burden to patients and extra workload for physicians.
Varma continued: “Another advantage of constant remote monitoring is that we as physicians get a closer look at trends in different patients.
“Some patients might have a more stable heart activity with a cardiac device; others may have more frequent discrepancies and episodes of arrhythmia. By regular monitoring data over a period of time, we can understand each patient and tailor our treatment and advice according to their needs and optimise device function.
“It also helps better our medical understanding and gives vital data for research. In a country like India, where a patient from Bihar might have had a device implanted in Delhi, follow up visits can be very difficult.
“Sometimes, a medical event in between the visits could go unnoticed and be life threatening to the patient. Home Monitoring has made it easy, enhanced safety and also reduced cost.”
Biotronik said its Home Monitoring is the only remote monitoring system worldwide with US FDA and European CE approval to replace conventional in-office follow ups and provide early detection of clinically relevant cardiac events. It is the only system with fully automated data transmission.
Tushar Basu, managing director, Biotronik India, said: “Digital technology has drastically changed the way we live and its impact on healthcare is also profoundly visible today.
“The Indian government special emphasis on Digital India shows how IT and digitisation is inextricably linked to development. Digitisation is bringing revolutionary changes to healthcare delivery across the world, including use of telemedicine to reach out to patients in remote areas and make diagnosis results quicker.”