A randomized controlled clinical trial of pacemaker follow-up in clinic and by telemedical interpretation of the pacemakers' magnet mode.

We assessed a two-stage follow-up procedure for cardiac pacemakers, where in-clinic follow-ups were partly replaced by telemedical follow-ups. This was compared with the standard follow-up regime (in-clinic follow-up only). The new procedure required an electronic patient record, a telemedical follow-up unit for recording ECGs while the pacemaker was temporarily set to magnet mode, an ECG processing unit, and a reviewing and reporting unit.

An integrated healthcare information system for end-to-end standardized exchange and homogeneous management of digital ECG formats.

This paper investigates the application of the enterprise information system (EIS) paradigm to standardized cardiovascular condition monitoring. There are many specifications in cardiology, particularly in the ECG standardization arena. The existence of ECG formats, however, does not guarantee the implementation of homogeneous, standardized solutions for ECG management.

Effect of home-based telemonitoring using mobile phone technology on the outcome of heart failure patients after an episode of acute decompensation: randomized controlled trial.

Background: Telemonitoring of patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) is an emerging concept to detect early warning signs of impending acute decompensation in order to prevent hospitalization.

Objective: The goal of the MOBIle TELemonitoring in Heart Failure Patients Study (MOBITEL) was to evaluate the impact of home-based telemonitoring using Internet and mobile phone technology on the outcome of heart failure patients after an episode of acute decompensation.

Methods: Patients were randomly allocated to pharmacological treatment (control group) or to pharmacological treatment with telemedical surveillance for 6 months (tele group).

Feasibility of a mobile phone-based data service for functional insulin treatment of type 1 diabetes mellitus patients.

Background: Patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1) have to be active participants in their treatment because they are inevitably responsible for their own day-to-day-care. Availability of mobile Internet access is advancing rapidly and mobile phones are now widely available at low cost. Thus, mobile phones have the potential to assist in daily diabetes management and to enable a telemedical interaction between patients and health care professionals.

Feasibility of a telemedicine framework for collaborative pacemaker follow-up.

We propose a telemedicine framework for remote and manufacturer independent pacemaker (PM) follow-up. The main goal is to provide the caregiver at the point-of-care with an efficient screening method to identify possible malfunction of the pacing system in collaboration with the specialist at the PM clinic. The concept was evaluated in a clinical trial on 44 patients (mean age 76 years).

Feasibility and usability of a home monitoring concept based on mobile phones and near field communication (NFC) technology.

Utilization of mobile information and communication technologies in home monitoring applications is becoming more and more common. The mobile phone, acting as a patient terminal for patients suffering from chronic diseases, provides an active link to the caregiver to transmit health status information and receive feedback. In such a concept the usability is still limited by the necessity of entering the values via the mobile phone's small keypad.

Predicting initiation and termination of atrial fibrillation from the ECG.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac arrhythmia, affecting more than two million people in the US. Several therapies for patients with atrial fibrillation are available, but methods to help physicians select the optimal therapy for an individual patient are still required. Knowledge of whether a patient with a normal ECG will exhibit atrial fibrillation in the future, as well as whether atrial fibrillation will terminate spontaneously, would be very useful in clinical routine.