What is remote monitoring?

The term remote monitoring means exactly what it implies: monitoring your heart and implanted device while you are at home, and “remote” from the care-team at your hospital. Remote monitoring pacemakers and ICDs are equipped with a special transmitter. Using an integrated aerial, the implant automatically sends medical and technical information from your heart, to your doctor and the cardiac physiologists who are treating you. This allows your doctor to monitor your condition based on accurate, up-to-date clinical information at any time – not just when you are at the hospital. Remote monitoring will not replace the first visit after the device in implanted, which is important to check that the wound is well-healed, and it will not be used for non-routine checks.  However, if all is well, and no problems are detected, it may take over the routine checks on you device, which relieves you and your care-team from having to attend to these checks at the hospital. 

How does remote monitoring work?

Information will be sent from your implant via whatever transmission system you are linked to by arrangement with your implanting centre. This may be daily, monthly, or by arrangement, for example, if you have new symptoms, or concerns, and want the reassurance that all is well with your device. The information received at the centre will allow them to look at any changes that may have occurred in your heart rhythm or with the battery and lead status.

In order to send the signals from your ICD or pacemaker you will need a special transmitting device.  This may look like a large mobile phone or may be a box which you will need to plug into your telephone line. 

The type of transmitter you receive will depend on which company made your implantable device. Your implanting centre will provide you with full details of how to send transmissions.

The transmitter works similarly to a mobile phone and automatically forwards the data to a computerised server. The data is coded during transmission in order to maintain confidentiality. Your doctor is then able to view and evaluate the data on a special, secure internet site.