Frequency of CIED remote monitoring: A quality improvement follow-up study

Based on the findings of a prior study of CIED (Cardiac Implantable Electrical Device) remote monitoring (RM) frequency at the same center, the University of Michigan Congenital Heart Center (UMCHC) instituted a quality improvement (QI) change to reduce the frequency of routine CIED RM from every 2 months to every 3 months. The objective of this study is to determine the impact of this QI initiative to reduce workload without compromising patient care.

This is a single-center, retrospective cohort study of all UMCHC patients with CIEDs followed via Medtronic CareLink CIED remote monitoring system from July 2015 to June 2017, after the QI change in 2014. The primary outcome was success of transition to new monitoring schedule. Secondary outcomes included complications, incidence of actionable events (AES), patient compliance, and change in workload. Outcomes were compared to the prior study.

There were 325 patients (mean age was 24  ±  14 years) included, of who 293 (90%) completely transitioned to the new RM schedule. During the study period, 96 transmissions included AES (4% of total), of which 50 (52%) were asymptomatic and discovered on routine monitoring. No patient experienced a complication attributable to decreased RM frequency. The mean number of interrogations decreased by 1.6 per patient over the 2-year period compared to prior study.

This study demonstrated successful implementation of a QI initiative to reduce CIED monitoring frequency at a single center with no patient adverse events. The intervention reduced workload and potentially improved patient compliance with routine RM.