Organizational model and reactions to alerts in remote monitoring of cardiac implantable electronic devices: A survey from the Home Monitoring Expert Alliance project.

Background: This survey aimed to describe the organizational workflow of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) remote monitoring (RM) service in ordinary practice.

Methods: A questionnaire was designed for our purpose and completed by 49 sites participating to the Italian Home Monitoring Expert Alliance.

Results: A dedicated organizational model for RM was set up for 86% of centers.

Product-experience reporting on endocardial defibrillation leads: a 4-year national perspective.

The medical device industry must implement accurate programs to monitor product performance once the product is released into the market. Product-experience reports provide a means for physicians who use medical devices to provide continuous feedback to manufacturers in order to monitor device performance. We examined product-experience reports sent from Italy over 4 years (2004-2007) related to a single manufacturer's family of permanent endocardial leads (Endotak Reliance, Boston Scientific, MA, USA) used with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators.

Temporal variation in optimal atrioventricular and interventricular delay during cardiac resynchronization therapy.

Background: Tailored atrioventricular delay (AVd) and interventricular delay (VVd) combination improves hemodynamics in patients treated with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). Whether tailored AVd-VVd combination changes over time is not known.

Methods And Results: Twenty-two patients (18 M, aged 69.

Implantation of left ventricular leads using a telescopic catheter system.

Background: Implantation procedures for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) remain challenging with regard to coronary sinus (CS) cannulation and left ventricular (LV) lead positioning. Technologic advances in catheter design may facilitate CS cannulation and LV lead placement.

Aims: To evaluate two different telescoping dual-catheter systems, RAPIDO Guiding Catheter System (Group R) and RAPIDO ADVANCE Guiding Catheter System (Group A) (Guidant Inc.

Echocardiographic examination of atrioventricular and interventricular delay optimization in cardiac resynchronization therapy.

In 21 patients implanted with a biventricular pacing device with programmable interventricular delay (VVd), the myocardial performance index (MPI) was evaluated during spontaneous sinus rhythm, simultaneous biventricular pacing, and sequential biventricular pacing at different VVds and atrioventricular delays (AVds). The AVd-VVd combination associated with the minimum MPI defined patient-tailored biventricular pacing. Simultaneous biventricular pacing significantly improved MPI compared with spontaneous sinus rhythm.