Benfit of Remote Monitoring in Pacemaker

Modern CIEDs are equipped with remote monitoring (RM) technology, which provides automatic transmissions of diagnostics and technical data from the implanted devices to the attending physician. RM has been shown to be a safe alternative to the conventional in-hospital visits, especially for low-risk patients, such as pacemaker recipients. These regular office visits include examinations of device function and patient clinical status, and may prompt the reprogramming of the device or changes in medication regimens. The efficiency of this strategy is, however, questionable since, in the majority of scheduled visits, the device programming or drug regimen is left unchanged. To optimize the follow-up of device recipients, systems have been developed, which allow the automatic teletransmission of data stored in the devices' memories, including battery voltage, lead characteristics, and arrhythmias. The data sent by a home transmitter allow the remote surveillance of patients and eliminate unnecessary ambulatory visits. Clinical studies of these new systems have been conducted mostly in recipients of cardioverter defibrillators, and only a few studies of permanently paced patients have been published. However, due to the absence of medical regulations and systems for remote monitoring in Korea, the government does not provide clear guidelines and the Korean HIRA (Health Insurance Review \& Assessment Service) is yet to set any reimbursement standards for home-transmitter and remote monitoring. As a result, most Korean physicians cannot practically use remote monitoring for CIED patients. Therefore, this project shall contribute to address the benefits of remote monitoring to the government and expediate the system to be set in the country. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia in the general population. AF has enormous socioeconomic implications because it increases the risk of mortality and morbidity resulting from stroke, congestive