Remote monitoring of cardiovascular devices: a time and activity analysis

Background Expanding indications for cardiovascular implantable electronic devices are accompanied by an increasing burden of device clinic follow-up. Remote monitoring (RM) may be less time-consuming compared to in-office follow-up; however, its effect on the device clinic workflow has not been clarified. Objective To determine the impact of RM on device clinic workflow. Methods Detailed workflow data were prospectively collected over a 2-week period in a busy device clinic. Results Five hundred remote transmissions were received from 434 patients between March 1 and March 16, 2011—346 implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, 84 pacemaker, and 70 implantable loop recorder transmissions—on 4 RM platforms (CareLink 56.4%, Merlin.net 21.4%, LATITUDE 17.8%, and Home Monitoring 4.4%). The mean time spent per transmission was 11.5 ± 7.7 minutes, which was less than in-person interrogations (27.7 ± 9.9 minutes; P