Remote Monitoring of Cardiovascular Implantable Devices in the Pediatric Population Improves Detection of Adverse Events

With the exponential growth of cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) in pediatric patients, a new method of long-term surveillance, remote monitoring (RM), has become the standard of care. The purpose of this study was to determine the usefulness of RM as a monitoring tool in the pediatric population. A retrospective review was performed of 198 patients at the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital who had CIEDs. Data transmitted by RM were analyzed. The following data were examined: patient demographics; median interval between transmissions; detection of adverse events requiring corrective measures, including detection of lead failure; detection of arrhythmias and device malfunctions independent of symptoms; time gained in the detection of events using RM versus standard practice; the validity of RM; and the impact of RM on data management. Of 198 patients, 162 submitted 615 RM transmissions. The median time between remote transmissions was 91 days. Of 615 total transmissions, 16 % had true adverse events with 11 % prompting clinical intervention. Of those events requiring clinical response, 61 % of patients reported symptoms. The median interval between last follow-up and occurrence of events detected by RM was 46 days, representing a gain of 134 days for patients followed-up at 6-month intervals and 44 days for patients followed-up at 3 month-intervals. The sensitivity and specificity of RM were found to be 99 and 72 %, respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were found to be 41 and 99 %, respectively. RM allows for early identification of arrhythmias and device malfunctions, thus prompting earlier corrective measures and improving care and safety in pediatric patients.