Study: Remote monitoring of cardiac device patients results in better survival, less hospitalization

Tracking patients who have various cardiac devices via a remote monitoring system cuts down on hospitalizations and costs, while improving patient survival. That's according to a 5-year study by St. Jude Medical ($STJ) of more than 90,000 patients with pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices.

Since fewer than half of cardiac device patients currently use remote monitoring, St. Jude clearly sees this data as an opportunity to expand its market share. The study used systems, such as the St. Jude Medical Merlin.net Patient Care Network (PCN), to remotely monitor patients.

Patients with high adherence to remote monitoring had 2.4 times the probability of survival as patients without remote monitoring. That was defined as the conduction of at least 75% of the time of weekly transmissions of patient data from the patient transmitter to the network. St. Jude updated its remote monitoring recommendations at this week's Heart Rhythm Society conference in Boston, MA.

"This study is the first of its kind to find an economic benefit when remote monitoring is utilized in pacemaker, defibrillator and cardiac resynchronization patients in the U.S.," said Dr. Jonathan Piccini, associate professor of medicine at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC, in a statement. "Use of remote monitoring is associated with lower risks of hospitalization, shorter hospital stays, and lower rates of heart failure and stroke hospitalization."

It found that remote monitoring resulted in the elimination of 10 hospitalizations and 119 hospital days in the study group. That translated into more than $370,000 in annual, per patient cost savings. St. Jude also noted that keeping patients out of the hospital also eliminates the subsequent follow-up doctor's visits.

The Merlin.net PCN supports St. Jude Medical CRT, ICD, and pacemaker devices. It wirelessly gathers and stores data from the implant procedure, follow-up visits and from remote device transmissions sent from a patient's home.Once transmitted to the system, it analyzes the data and provides physician reports and alerts. The at-home transmitter sends data via an Internet connection as well as a cell phone or standard phone line.

"Recent data surrounding remote monitoring technologies have been important to advancing the understanding of the benefits these systems provide," said Dr. Niraj Varma, electrophysiologist at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH, said in a statement. "The updated recommendations announced recently by the Heart Rhythm Society reflect the findings from these important studies and highlight the importance of using remote monitoring systems to improve the consistency of follow-up care for patients."

In addition, St. Jude also presented data at the conference showing that a high percentage biventricular pacing offered a 24% lower mortality rate than a low percentage in a study of almost 9,000 patients with its SJM Quadra CRT System, including the Quartet LV Lead.

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