Automatic home monitoring of implantable cardioverter defibrillators

With the expanding indications for implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and reports of unexpected ICD failures, home monitoring (HM) was proposed to decrease follow-up workload and increase patient safety. Home monitoring implantable cardioverter defibrillators offer wireless, everyday transfer of ICD status and therapy data to a central HM Service Center, which notifies the attending physician of relevant HM events. We evaluated functionality and safety of HM ICDs.

A total of 260 patients with HM ICDs were monitored for a mean of 10 +/- 5 months. Time to HM events [medical (ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation) and technical (ICD system integrity)] since ICD implantation and since the latest in-clinic follow-up was analysed. Mean number of HM events per 100 patients per day was calculated, without and with a 2-day blanking period for re-notifying the same type of event. About 41.2% of the patients had HM events (38.1% medical, 0.8% technical, and 2.3% both types). Probability of any HM event after 1.5 years was 0.50 (95% confidence interval: 0.42-0.58). More than 60% of new HM event types occurred within the first month after follow-up. A mean of 0.86 event notifications was received per 100 patients per day or 0.45 with the 2-day blanking period.

Home monitoring is feasible and associated with an early detection of medical and technical events.