Remote Monitoring

Remote cardiac monitoring technologies enable patient health to be tracked outside the clinical setting. It can be used for longer term monitoring to help diagnosis arrhythmias or other cardiac conditions. Remote monitoring also can keep tabs on chronic conditions such as heart failure or hypertension and alert clinicians to worsening symptoms to avoid an acute care episode or hospitalization.

Dhanunjaya "DJ" Lakkireddy, MD, executive medical director for the Kansas City Heart Rhythm Institute at HCA Midwest Health, a professor of medicine at the University of Missouri, Columbia, and serves as deputy editor for the the Journal of Atrial Fibrillation, and serves on the HRS Board of Trustees, section steering committee chair for the ACC. He explains there is a big need to speed access to electrophysiologists (EPs) when a patient presents with atrial fibrillation (AFib). #AFibawareness

VIDEO: Gaps in the access to atrial fibrillation care

Interview with Dhanunjaya Lakkireddy, MD, executive medical director for the Kansas City Heart Rhythm Institute at HCA Midwest Health, on the need to speed access to electrophysiologists when a patient presents with atrial fibrillation.

September 27, 2022
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the first pediatric indication for use for an implantable cardiac monitor to Medtronic. The Linq II Insertable Cardiac Monitor (ICM) system is the first such device receive 510(k) clearance for use in pediatric patients over the age of 2 who have heart rhythm abnormalities and require long-term, continuous monitoring.

FDA grants new pediatric indication for Medtronic Linq II implantable cardiac monitor 

The FDA granted the first pediatric indication for an implantable cardiac monitor. The Linq II can be used in pediatric patients over the age of 2 for up to 4.5 years of long-term, continuous monitoring. 

September 20, 2022

New expert guidelines highlight the importance of quickly diagnosing and treating CIED infections

Though removal of the affected CIED is typically the smartest treatment option—and one supported by specialty groups all over the world—a majority of patients keep living with the device, often resulting in hospitalization or even death.

September 1, 2022
Product Recall

FDA announces recall of nearly 88,000 implantable cardiac devices due to risk of serious injury or death

The recall is related to short circuit protection (SCP) alerts that were causing the devices to send reduced-energy electric shocks. There have been 27 customer complaints about the issue so far.

August 19, 2022
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a new warning against the use of watches, rings and other devices that claim to measure blood glucose levels without piercing the skin. These unapproved devices come from “dozens of companies” and are sold “under multiple brand names.”

AFib screening using wearable devices found to be cost-effective for patients as young as 50

While current guidelines endorse screening for people aged 65 and above, a massive simulation published in JAMA Health Forum suggests that cost-effectiveness may extend to even younger age groups.

August 12, 2022
Bodyport, a San Francisco-based healthcare technology company focused on detecting cardiovascular disease, has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance for a new digital scale that can help monitor fluid retention and enable earlier interventions in heart failure management.

Cardiac scale gains FDA clearance, putting patients 1 step away from a heart assessment

The newly cleared device works like a traditional scale, but it captures more data than just the user's weight. 

August 9, 2022
The KardiaBand device from AliveCor is a more reliable tool for identifying atrial fibrillation (AFib) than the Apple Watch 4, according to a new head-to-head analysis published in JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology.

KardiaBand outperforms Apple Watch in diagnosing AFib, but a cardiologist’s perspective is still crucial

The study's authors noted that the ECG acquisition technology in these wearable devices appears to be quite effective. The automated algorithms, however, could still be improved. 

July 8, 2022
Treating elderly atrial fibrillation (AFib) patients—even those who are traditionally ineligible for direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs)—with a very low dose of edoxaban is associated with improved outcomes, according to new research published in JAMA Network Open.

LVAD patients spend nearly 1 in 4 days seeking care — is there a more effective way?

The study's authors noted that LVADs consistently lead to strong outcomes, but improvements are still needed to reduce the burden on patients. 

May 25, 2022

Around the web

Eleven medical societies have signed on to a consensus statement aimed at standardizing imaging for suspected cardiovascular infections.

Kate Hanneman, MD, explains why many vendors and hospitals want to lower radiology's impact on the environment. "Taking steps to reduce the carbon footprint in healthcare isn’t just an opportunity," she said. "It’s also a responsibility."

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