A physician at the Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute at St. David's Medical Center is the first in Texas to implant a new pacemaker equipped with wireless technology that can notify physicians of changes in their patients' device or condition. The latest technology was developed by St. Jude Medical to improve patient care and make device follow-up more efficient and convenient for both patients and physicians.
Dr. Shane M. Bailey, electrophysiologist at the Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute at St. David's Medical Center (TCAI), implanted the Accent™ RF pacemaker to monitor the patient's heart and provide electronic stimulation when the heart beats too slowly.
The Accent RF pacemaker enables Dr. Bailey to monitor his patients' devices from the patients' home. On scheduled check-up dates, data from the pacemaker is wirelessly sent to the physician—in a hands free manner, with no patient interaction required, typically while the patient sleeps—and becomes available to the physician for viewing via the Merlin.net® Patient Care Network.
“I continue to be fascinated by how far medical science has advanced the field of electrophysiology in the past few years and I am pleased that TCAI is at the forefront of those advances,” Dr. Bailey said. “With new technologies such as the Accent RF pacemaker, I am able to provide better care for my patients, which is the ultimate goal.”
In addition to regular device follow-up appointments, the wireless communication also enables the device to automatically alert physicians to important changes with the device or the patient's heart rhythm, in between scheduled device checks.
The Merlin.net PCN also allows physicians to compile a more complete patient record, by easily transferring cardiac device data into electronic health records. This allows the physician to view all patient information side-by-side in a secure, easy to access location.
Cardiac pacemakers are used to treat bradycardia, which is a heart rate that is too slow. These devices monitor the heart and provide electrical stimulation when the heart beats too slowly for each patient's specific physiological requirements.