Cardiostim Symposium Demonstrates BIOTRONIK Home Monitoring® Advantages for Effective Management of Heart Failure Patients

NICE, France, June 19, 2014 – During a scientific symposium at this year’s Cardiostim Congress, Dr. Gerhard Hindricks of the Heart Center, University of Leipzig, Germany, presented further evidence that BIOTRONIK Home Monitoring^® considerably improves heart failure patients’ clinical results. Dr. Hindricks, lead investigator for the
IN-TIME study, defined the early detection and intervention afforded by Home Monitoring as crucial in optimizing patient treatment and thereby reducing mortality rates.

The IN-TIME study results showed a remarkable reduction of over 50 percent in all-cause mortality in heart failure patients with implant-based Home Monitoring, regardless of whether they had an implantable defibrillator (ICD) or a cardiac resynchronization therapy device (CRT-D).¹

“Due to the complexity of this chronic condition, heart failure can be difficult to manage,” commented Dr. Hindricks. “The IN-TIME study demonstrates that by transmitting timely information about changes in patient status, Home Monitoring enables physicians to react quickly and optimize patient therapy. Home Monitoring is an essential tool in managing heart failure patients with ICD and CRT-D devices.”

Dr. Hindricks also emphasized the positive role of Home Monitoring in identifying patients who do not respond to CRT. Non-response is often due to atrial fibrillation (AF), as rapid AV conduction makes it more difficult to resynchronize the heart. In these cases, Home Monitoring proves especially beneficial, as early detection of AF can identify non-responders to CRT. The sooner physicians become aware of AF, the sooner they can adjust patient therapy. This in turn can increase the success rate of CRT.

Following Dr. Hindrick’s presentation, Dr. Jeanne E. Poole, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, addressed treatment options for ensuring effective CRT. She underscored how rate control and cardioversion approaches help revert patients to a healthy sinus rhythm and improve synchronization. Next, Dr. Christian Sticherling, University Hospital Basel, Switzerland, discussed ablation of the AV node to ensure 100 percent effective CRT pacing.

Before the final wrap-up and discussion, Philipp Sommer, University of Leipzig Heart Center, Leipzig, Germany, detailed how physicians can seamlessly integrate Home Monitoring into clinical routines, thereby improving workflow. “Home Monitoring optimizes and streamlines my clinic’s workflow so that we can focus our energy on the patients who need us most. Seeing patients at the right time is of tremendous benefit to them, allowing us to react quickly to their needs and increasing our clinic’s efficiency,” he explained.

1. ^{IN-TIME results demonstrating a more than 50 percent reduction in mortality were presented at ESC 2013. Sub-analysis results demonstrating remote monitoring benefits for both ICD and CRT-D patients were presented at the 2014 ESC HF congress, both by Dr. Hindricks.}