Coordinated Care Management

August 31, 2011

ECOST Study: Remote Monitoring with Home Monitoring System a Safe Option for ICDs



ECOST recently presented with a study which says that long-term daily remote monitoring with a home monitoring system is a safe option for ICD (implantable cardioverter defibrilators) recipients. The study, which was based on a multicenter randomized trial performed in France, also said that it is a safe alternative to conventional monitoring, and could decrease the number of inappropriate shocks.

"The information and communication technologies of e-health will radically change our healthcare systems over the next decade," said investigator Professor Salem Kacet from the Regional University Hospital of Lille, France, in a statement. "This large multicenter trial aimed to demonstrate if a telemedicine system was as safe and efficient as conventional in-hospital monitoring and follow-up."

ECOST study, a multicenter randomized trial performed in France, included participation from a total of 433 patients in 43 centers in France. The patients were randomized to remote monitoring (active group) or in-clinic follow-up (control group) over a period of 27 months. A first in-clinic ICD follow-up within 1-3 months after implantation was scheduled for all patients. Thereafter, patients in the active group were seen in the ambulatory department only once a year, unless an anomalous ICD function or event of clinical concern was reported by the remote monitoring system and required an additional in-clinic visit.

Results clearly showed that remote ICD monitoring is a safe alternative to conventional follow-up in terms of all cardiac and device-related major adverse events and all cause mortality. Moreover, a 52 percent reduction was seen in the number of patients with inappropriate shocks, and a 72 percent reduction was seen in the risk of hospitalizations related to inappropriate shocks. In addition, results showed a 76 percent reduction in the risk of charged shocks, with a significant impact on ICD battery longevity

"These results are consistent with, and extend, previous findings by demonstrating the safety of long-term remote ICD monitoring," said Professor Kacet.

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Rahul Arora is a HealthTechZone contributor. He has worked as an editor and freelance writer for several reputed organizations in India. To read more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.

Edited by Rich Steeves

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