Medtronic's heart device monitor:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Medtronic has obtained approval to CE mark the automatic version of its internet-based monitoring system, CareLink, in the EU. The Minnesota, Minneapolis-based company immediately launched the product onto the European market. The CareLink Network employs Conexus wireless telemetry to automatically transmit data on patients with implanted heart devices, and on the devices themselves, directly to physicians. It can be used to assess the performance of devices such as cardiac resynchronisation therapy-defibrillators (CRT-D) for patients with heart failure and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) for patients with arrhythmia. The network can also monitor fluid build-up in the thoracic cavity (a precursor to heart failure) via a proprietary feature called OptiVol Fluid Status Monitoring. Medtronic claims that a non-wireless version of the system is used by 150,000 patients with heart failure or arrhythmia worldwide.