Is there a St. Jude Medical pacemaker mobile app?

St. Jude Mobile Apps-Not for Pacemakers

by Marybird - 2020-02-25 18:32:58

As far as I can tell ( from the St. Jude website), there is no mobile app available for monitoring any of their pacemakers. They use the "Merlin@Home" wireless monitor you mentioned that sits on your nightstand or somewhere close by where you sleep. 

Apparently St. Jude does have a phone App monitor ( My Merlin app) but it's used for their implantable cardiac monitor the Confirm Rx monitor only.

I have a St. Jude Assurity MRI+ dual chamber, and I'd sure be happy to have a mobile app for the monitor. My sister has a Medtronix pacemaker, with a mobile app, and she really likes it. Far as I can tell, though, the only information available to the patient on the App is  reminders of upcoming dates for transmissions, and notifications that transmissions were successfully completed.

You can purchase good little tools from your favourite online vendor

by crustyg - 2020-02-25 18:37:47

An inexpensive pulseox gadget will give you a good idea of your HR except when exercising vigorously (about $25) and you can buy a pocket EKG monitor (single lead, but any lead you want) for about $90 - there's even an FDA approved version and it attempts to analyse any defects (ST depression, tachy/bradycardia etc.).  There are good tutorials on the Web about how to read EKGs,

What you won't get is direct access to the data from your PM. AFAIK, no PM vendor will provide this - their primary market, the EP docs, wouldn't permit it.  Crazy, patronising, but that's how it is.  Your life, your body, your heart, arguably your PM, but their data!  Over this side of the pond, the Access to Health Records Act 1990 can be used to get the actual data, but it's all historical.  I *think* you have something similar without resorting to litigation.

Some stabbing pains from the PM pocket are common, quite frightening at first, but they get better over time.  Some exercises make them much worse (some yoga poses, press-ups, etc.)

Get in the habit of taking a thumb-drive (USB stick) to every EP tech/doc interrogation session and politely demanding *ALL* of the reports from each PM interrogation.  Then you have some data to consider and ask questions about.  Knowledge == power.

'Twas ever thus.

Pacemaker app

by DouglasRachac - 2020-02-25 22:28:00

Unfortunately there is no company that has an app which provides data to us patients. Not yet, anyway.  You can ask for a copy of your reports every quarter though. I have a Medtronic and ask for the full Cardiac Compass report (St Jude will call it something else).  The full report is 30+ pages and full of all sorts of interesting information. 

Thank you to everyone for your comments

by cagedliberty - 2020-02-26 21:32:30

Thank you to everyone who posted. It is frustrating that money comes before giving patients peace of mind. I am now thinking of investing in a heart monitor watch to keep an eye on my chest pains.

We have to wait for the corporate greed to catch up

by Zapper - 2021-04-03 17:50:02

So sorry to hear that. I spent on Merlin @ Home only to return the $500 piece of equipment after 2 years, a real junk! For USA - only Medtronic CareLink Express is the gold standard in wireless app based monitoring that allows you to access your data. 
The way the sloth process works with StJude is - if there is an episode, your clinic will call you the next day, not at 2am when you experience pain.

I spent $500 on a tech wrist watch that works well and gives me piece of mind. Apple Watch 5 has ECG and pulse ox built in, earlier generation 4 just a simple ecg and a heart beat monitor. I wear it 24/7 except for charging as it can initiate emergency calls in case of flatlining or fall/drop dead situations. We just have to wait for StJude R&D to sell us a better mouse trap when they decide to invest in apps.