BIOTRONIK, a global cardio- and endovascular medical technology company, has launched its CardioMessenger Smart device in the United States.

The portable monitoring unit, about the size of a modern smartphone, keeps pacemaker, implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), and insertable cardiac monitor (ICM) patients connected to their physician remotely, enabling more efficient care management anywhere in the world.

CardioMessenger Smart provides secure, fully automatic transmission of vital information from a patient’s cardiac implant to their physician via BIOTRONIK Home Monitoring. This includes daily, automatic reports and fully customizable alerts that can be programmed to the physician’s specifications. As demonstrated by the TRUST1, COMPAS2 and IN-TIME3 clinical studies, Home Monitoring can significantly reduce hospitalization, stroke and mortality. The device recently received Food and Drug Administration approval.

“The clinical and economic benefits of remote monitoring have been well established over a decade of clinical studies,” stated Dr. Niraj Varma, in reference to the 2015 Heart Rhythm Society Expert Consensus Statement on remote monitoring. “But these benefits are only realized if patients consistently use the technology. When we make the remote monitoring process easy for patients, we increase the likelihood of patient adherence, which has been demonstrated to improve health outcomes.”

Varma was lead investigator for the landmark TRUST Trial, which laid the foundation for the guidelines, and co-chair of the HRS committee.

The portability of CardioMessenger Smart helps ensure patient compliance and the consistent transmission of data necessary for physicians to identify and prevent potential cardiac events. It is fully automatic, providing daily reports of cardiac activity via worldwide cellular networks to physicians without intervention from the patient.

BIOTRONIK is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, and represented in more than 100 countries.