St Jude Medical's remote patient monitoring system receives FDA approval
21 July 2005
The new version of software for the St Jude Medical's Housecall Plus
remote patient monitoring system has received approval from the United
States FDA. The system monitors implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD)
patients.
This upgrade enables medical professionals to create electronic PDF
(portable document format) files of patient's device interrogation results
and either transmit them electronically or post them on a secure website for
further review by physicians. The upgrade also expands in-office networking
capabilities.
"With the number of ICD patients expected to expand significantly over
the next few years, physicians face an enormous challenge in managing
regular follow-up visits for those patients," said Michael J. Coyle,
President of St. Jude Medical's Cardiac Rhythm Management Division. "The
version 2.1 software upgrade offers physicians even greater flexibility to
provide excellent follow-up care more efficiently when using the Housecall
Plus system."
The Housecall Plus system offers live communication with a medical
professional. The company claims it is the world's first remote patient
monitoring system to transmit complex ICD data in real time over standard
telephone lines for immediate review. The complete diagnostics available in
the system provide real-time electrograms, surface ECGs, signals and
settings of the ICD, delivered therapies and stored electrograms.
Remote monitoring simplifies follow-up visits for all patients, but it is
especially important for housebound patients or those who live in isolated
areas. While the system does not eliminate the need for doctor visits, it
offers important insights into when a patient should be seen. Costs
associated with unnecessary office and emergency room visits may also be
reduced. A survey of patients currently using the system indicated a very
high satisfaction with the convenience of transmitting from home versus
driving to a clinic.
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