770 MyCarelink Heart Smartphone Application: An Early Single Centre Experience

Abstract

Remote cardiac device monitoring is known to be beneficial to patients, however, has a significant burden on clinicians due to unscheduled transmissions. We report on our early experience with a smartphone-based application utilising Bluetooth vs a traditional monitor with Bluetooth connectivity. Remotely monitored patients with Medtronic Bluetooth enabled pacemakers were analysed. We examined the transmissions sent between October 2019-March 2020 to The Prince Charles Hospital Pacemaker Clinic. Patients had a traditional home monitor (Medtronic 24952), or a smartphone application (MyCarelink Heart). Patients with a smartphone were offered the application. Those without or those not willing to use their smartphone were given a traditional remote monitor. Scheduled transmissions included initial pairing, scheduled and alerts. 715 Medtronic Bluetooth pacemaker transmissions were analysed in this 6-month period. 10 patients utilised the MyCarelink Heart application, while 243 patients utilised the traditional home monitor, with wireless connectivity to their pacemaker. The average number of unscheduled transmissions per patient using the application was 0.5 (range 0-3), while the average number of unscheduled transmissions per patient using the traditional monitor was 1.75 (range 0-29). The ratio of unscheduled transmissions to scheduled using the application was 0.2:1. The ratio of unscheduled transmissions to scheduled using the traditional monitor was 1.6:1. Our early experience with a small number of patients shows that a smartphone-based application provides the known benefits of remote monitoring and can drastically reduce unscheduled transmissions sent by inadvertent patient interaction with the monitor.