Remote monitoring of severe heart failure

Patients with advanced heart failure, due to the instability of their clinical conditions, need close surveillance to avoid dangerous exacerbations or sudden events. Digital technology can be of great help in this contest, thanks to remote monitoring, made possible with the use of wearable or implantable instruments. The latter are currently generally inserted inside defibrillators or resynchronization systems, or inserted inside the pulmonary circulation for monitoring pulmonary pressure. Parameters such as thoracic impedance, physical activity, heart rate variability, atrial and ventricular arrhythmias, blood pressure, and O₂ saturation can be controlled remotely. The data relating to the actual benefit in terms of avoidable events (death and hospitalizations) are not definitive, but certainly from an organizational point of view, the benefit is evident, both on the part of the patient and of the organization of care. The latter, provided in the form of televisits, requires a re-modulation of the system, making use of trained personnel, a well-structured network, and digital technologies (platforms, electronic health records) that are not yet perfectly developed. The evolution of the solutions offered by artificial intelligence guarantees a rapid and progressive refinement of telemedicine in this sector.