Early Detection, Early Intervention at this Year’s EMB Conference

BERLIN, Germany, February 10, 2014 – Experts in cardiology and electrophysiology met at this year’s 8th annual EMB (Expert Meeting Berlin) Conference¹ to discuss critical issues affecting their fields. Among the topics addressed were: How can remote monitoring and early detection help improve therapy for heart failure patients? When is the right time for catheter ablation when treating patients suffering from ventricular arrhythmia (VT)? The answers underlined the value of early detection, and how it can enable early intervention.

Professor Gerhard Hindricks, MD, of the Heart Center, University of Leipzig, Germany, discussed the results of the IN-TIME study, the first randomized, controlled trial worldwide to demonstrate a significant reduction in all-cause mortality in heart failure patients with implant-based remote monitoring. According to the study, automatic, continuous monitoring with BIOTRONIK Home Monitoring^® reduces mortality in heart failure patients by more than 50 percent compared to standard care.² The study coincides with the most recent ESC (European Society of Cardiology) guidelines on cardiac pacing and resynchronization therapy, which now contain recommendations for remote monitoring. “IN-TIME shows that remote monitoring is part of a comprehensive approach to treating complex diseases, and an effective tool for healthcare providers,” commented Hindricks.

1. ^{The EMB is sponsored by BIOTRONIK and GE Healthcare and took place in Berlin on February 7-8.}
2. ^{Results first presented at the ESC Congress 2013.}
3. ^{Kuck et al., Lancet (2010), 375: 31-40.}
4. ^{Reddy et al., New England Journal of Medicine (2007), 357: 2657-65.}