EU urges remote control cardiac checks

Europe’s healthcare services were urged today to boost “telemedicine” - technology helping doctors monitor cardiac conditions by remote control.

A review by Eucomed, which represents the European medical technology industry, shows that the use of medical checks using “remote implantable devices” reduced physicians’ time by up to 70% and cuts medical costs by up to 60%.

It also saves the time of patients with a 20% reduction in the need for hospital admissions to monitor “disease management”.

The economic benefits, enhanced patient safety and decreased physician workload of telemedicine were set out at an EU health conference in Prague by Markus Siebert, chairman of Eucomed’s Cardiac Rhythm Management Telemonitoring Group.

He said telemedicine had demonstrated its great potential in cardiac rhythm management, but could be more widely used.

“Remote device monitoring is as safe and as clinically effective as in-office device follow ups. It is also cost effective in that it avoids costs such as patient travel and hospital resources,” said Mr Siebert.

But he added: “Unfortunately, barriers from lack of funding and reimbursement of the technology and the medical procedure are still standing in the way of full patient access, preventing this potential from being fully embraced.”

His call follows the European Commission’s recent pledge to support all moves to improve access both for patients and communication to support and improve access for citizens and healthcare staff to telemedicine services in Europe.

The Commission warned that there was still a lack of confidence in and acceptance of the idea of remote health care monitoring, as well as a lack of legal clarity over such treatment.

Dr Josep Brugada, president of the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA), told the conference new telemedicine opportunities were opening up, and wider acceptance of the possibilities of remote and continuous “implantable device checks” would mean a better quality of life for more patients.

“Continuous control of the device will permit detection of possible device dysfunction at a very early stage which allows us to take immediate action, thus improving patient safety significantly.” said Mr Dr Brugada.

“In the future this will makes it possible for us to detect heart failure at an early stage, avoiding hospitalisation.”