Cardiac telemonitoring by integrating pacemaker telemetry within worldwide data communication systems

During the last four years, more than 12,000 myocardial electrogram sequences in five hospitals in different countries have been recorded using pacemakers with extended-bandwidth analogue telemetry (0.3-200 Hz) and subsequently transmitted via the Internet to the central processing station in Graz. The two main objectives have been the development of a non-invasive method for the quasi-continuous rejection surveillance of transplanted hearts and the evaluation of data exchange networks with worldwide availability, like the Internet, for telemonitoring purposes. The results demonstrate, in principle, the suitability and the diagnostic potential of the integrated communication system for cardiac telemonitoring. The major restriction is that the effective transmission rate in the Internet is low and still decreasing. As a consequence, data exchange networks with higher transmission rates are necessary in order to utilize the full and challenging potential of telemedicine.