Defibrillator Signals Doctor via Satellite

A new implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) automatically signals a doctor via wireless satellite transmission if a patient's heart beats abnormally or if the device malfunctions. The ICD has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

"With this surveillance system, physicians for the first time have a way to monitor nonhospitalized heart patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” noted Dr. Niraj Varma, associate professor of medicine, Loyola University, Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine (IL, USA). "It will enable us to identify problems early on as well as help prevent problems.”

Called Lumos, the device is implanted in a patient's chest. If an abnormal heartbeat occurs, the Lumos shocks the heart back into a healthy rhythm and sends a signal to a satellite via a small transmitter that can be placed on a nightstand, worn on a belt, or kept in a purse. A home monitoring system almost instantaneously sends to the patient's doctor a beat-by-beat record similar to an electrocardiogram (ECG) of any heart abnormality, which the doctor can view on a secure website. The doctor can also program the device to send an alert for specific reasons, such as a significant increase in the number of irregular heartbeat episodes, via email, cell phone, or fax. Lumos is the product of Biotronik GmbH (Berlin, Germany).

"We have long wished for the possibility of obtaining an ECG for immediate diagnosis in cases of severe arrhythmias,” observed Prof. Salem Kacet, who helped implant about 30 patients with Lumos in Lille University Hospital (France). "With Lumos, we can have an ECG in our hands in about three minutes after a ventricular fibrillation event. This offers revolutionary possibilities for therapy management.”





Related Links:
Biotronik
Loyola U.