Basic PM monitoring

Pacemaker Monitoring

by Gemita - 2023-08-17 13:00:36

Hello Piglet, thank you for your post and link.  I did download the complete PDF.   It appears to be a review from 2011, so technology has certainly moved on, but nonetheless it is an excellent report on remote monitoring and asks some challenging questions.

We have had many posts on this subject over the years, what remote monitoring can and cannot do for us, who needs remote monitoring and so on.  The other thing I would like to mention is that for many of us, monitors will never replace the face to face contact that some of us need for our heart condition.  Personally I would miss face to face contact, although I appreciate if we do not have any difficult heart rhythm disturbances that need watching, there may be no need for face to face contact, at least not regularly.

What Remote Monitors Do:

Monitor our cardiac device

Send information from our device to our doctors

Allow our doctors to monitor our heart rhythm and/or heart condition between clinic visits, which can help them make suggestions for adjustments to our medication and treatment, including Settings, if needed.

What Remote Monitors DON’T Do:

Prevent cardiac symptoms, provide treatment or tell your cardiac device to deliver therapies (e.g., ICD shock). 

Turn your cardiac device on or off, change Settings, or reprogram your device.

They are not an emergency medical alert system.  If you are not feeling well, call your doctor or  emergency services. 

Gemita

by piglet22 - 2023-08-17 13:55:47

People try things out and sometimes they work and sometimes they don't.

I class remote monitoring as useful and that's about it. Certainly better than nothing.

It's a great shame when clinics are closed for reasons like the one I was given "the girls find moving the equipment heavy tasks plus having to have two staff present as the tests can be challenging" It's an A&E hospital.

Even a GP phone call is no real substitute for eyeball to eyeball.

The eyes tell you a lot.

If they can phone you, why not see you? Unless the surgery is being repurposed. At least one of ours seems to be the call centre/admin hub.

It's such a significant change to go from F2F to remote - PM clinic - I'm surprised they haven't had an opinion poll. My guess is it won't happen.

I didn't take a close look at the item date but it's still relevant.

No news here . Very frustrating.

Face to face to Remote?

by Gemita - 2023-08-17 17:39:29

Hi Piglet,  no I don’t think we will ever go completely remote.  After all, our condition usually progresses with age anyway and an electrical disturbance will never stay the same, so at some stage we will need to go back for examination and settings adjustments.

Yes I am not against remote monitoring either.  I like to feel in control and to know that I can send a transmission in to my clinic at the exact time I experience difficult symptoms.  Mind you I have my Kardia 6 lead monitor now and it is working brilliantly and has already confirmed on three occasions what I was feeling symptom wise (Atrial Fibrillation) and the high heart rate.

No news?  Do you know the name of the EP you have been referred to Piglet?  If you have another event I would ring either Cardiology or the team you have been referred to.  I wouldn’t let this go on for much longer.  Just keep gathering evidence, dates and times when you get worrying symptoms.  The more evidence you can take to your appointment, the better (not that I wish you another nasty event)

Marybird

by piglet22 - 2023-08-20 20:21:25

It's a different story where I am.

After they said they were closing F2F clinics, the monitor arrived through the post.

That was that. No information on how it was set up or even what it did.

I can manage, but many wouldn't.

The service is a disgrace. It's an experiment to see just how far they can cut it back before something bad happens.

The NHS is in the news for all the wrong reasons right now.