New Cardiac Pacemakers for Patients with Bradycardia Enables Wireless Remote Telemonitoring

Cardiologists at the Montreal Heart Institute recently successfully implanted in several patients a new type of cardiac pacemaker, the Accent RF, that uses wireless technology to allow patients to be remotely monitored.

According to a press release, the Accent RF pacemaker “provides electronic stimulation when the heart beats too slowly. It also makes it possible to monitor the patient’s condition at a distance‑a major practical advantage‑which ensures more effective communication between the patient and the physician.” The pacemaker is billed as the “first to offer automatic test results and complete diagnostics that can be accessed via wireless communication from the physician’s office or the patient’s home.”

data from the wireless pacemaker are “automatically forwarded to the physician with no manipulation or patient interaction required, since the data are usually collected while the patient is sleeping at home.”

Information collection is seamless:

and professor at the Université de Montréal, said “"This new device offers a viable alternative in terms of diagnosis, monitoring and therapy by ensuring more effective and documented communication between patients and physicians.” He also said that the ability to remotely monitor patients via the wireless technology lets physicians “achieve important gains in effectiveness without compromising the quality of care to patients, who no longer have to travel just for routine examinations. The automatic alerts give patients greater peace of mind, since they can be assured that we will be advised if there are any changes with the device or their condition.”

Bernard Thibault, MD, cardiologist at the Montreal Heart Institute

The data is uploaded and accessible through the Merlin.net Patient Care Network. Click here to learn more about the system’s capabilities and technical specifications.

Although this is the first application of this device in Canada, several hospitals in the US have also been successfully using the Accent RF pacemaker, including CGH Medical Center in Illinois and the Nebraska Heart Institute.