Smartphone-Based Electrocardiographic and Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Monitoring

The field of arrhythmia monitoring is changing rapidly. The rapid advent of technology in combination with marked improvements in cellular communication and an increased desire by patients to be actively engaged in their care has ushered in a new era of clinical care. Today, physicians need to think about their patients outside the traditional in-office setting. Two technologies that embody this changing landscape are smartphone-based electrocardiographic (ECG) monitors and remote monitoring of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs). Smartphone-based ECG monitors allow the patient to assume a greater stake in their own care. They purchase the monitor, couple it to their smartphone, own it forever, and can capture a representative ECG whenever they want to assess symptoms. The physician needs to accept that this approach is vastly different from the use of standard ambulatory external ECG monitors that have been used for years in clinical practice. A similar paradigm shift is underway with respect to the care of the CIED patient. Remote follow-up was once considered an acceptable alternative to in-office calendar-based follow-up of CIEDs. Today, guidelines recommend remote monitoring to be the preferred method for device follow-up. Remote monitoring is tailor-made for the current evolution to a value-based healthcare system, having been demonstrated to reduce scheduled office visits, hospital admissions, and mortality. It is now time to educate patients and physicians on the value of remote monitoring and to ensure that clinical practices develop the infrastructure needed to enroll, monitor, and manage their patients.