Health economic concerns on cardiac rhythm management devices longevity and how to overcome them

The number of device implantations is in constant increase due to the ageing population, extended indications to implant for preventing sudden cardiac death and treating heart failure. An increase in the number of implants is directly related to a higher number of device replacements and that is one of the most important risk factors for device infection. Therefore, all the above mentioned factors contribute to an increase in the cost for health care system. Currently, several methods help to prolong device battery longevity and consequently reduce the costs, such as: a new battery, drug eluting leads, high impedance leads, algorithm to minimize unnecessary pacing, capture management and correct programming to avoid inappropriate and unnecessary shock in Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators and Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy devices. Furthermore remote monitoring is very promising to reduce health system costs related to devices.