First reported case of a longevity overestimation error in the new Medtronic tablet-based device programmer

With the advancement and miniaturization of mobile technologies, major device companies are replacing the traditional cardiac rhythm device programmers with smaller and more efficient tablet-based systems. As clinicians rely on data obtained from multitude of these systems, it is imperative that they provide consistent, reliable, and reproducible results. In this case report, we illustrate, for the first time, a major discrepancy between remote monitoring data, a conventional device programmer, and the new tablet-based Medtronic CareLink SmartSync Device Manager which erroneously overestimated the battery longevity in a pacemaker-dependent patient whose device had reached Recommended Replacement Time (RRT) status.