Excerpts from this site Q & A. buff.ly/2qj0hRP o
Post# of 6614
buff.ly/2qj0hRP or
https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/healthc...hs-in.html
"Q: In this era of cyberhacking and patient privacy, what advice would you give healthcare providers when it comes to talking with their patients about the safety of remote monitoring of medical devices like pacemakers and ICDs?
RF: It's important first to acknowledge all that connected devices and remote monitoring have done to advance patient care in recent years — and we're just scratching the surface of what's possible. With any connected device, however, whether medical or nonmedical, there is always going to be some level of security risk. We as a community — those of us who design and make the devices and those of us who manage them and manage the patients who use them — need to be relentlessly vigilant about including the latest security protections in our products, services and systems, and continually update them as technology evolves.
Q: What are some innovative things you've seen being done in remote patient monitoring?
RF: Abbott has developed a number of life-changing technologies in remote monitoring — innovations that provide information and insights that are meaningful and actionable and, ultimately, provide clinical benefit. One example is our Confirm Rx insertable cardiac monitor (ICM), which is the world's first ICM that incorporates Bluetooth® wireless technology, allowing patients to connect their implanted ICM to their smartphone via a mobile app. Once it's implanted — just under the skin in the chest during a quick outpatient procedure — Confirm Rx continuously monitors heart rhythms. Data collected by the device is securely transmitted to the physician via the mobile app. The app also allows patients to record symptoms from their own smartphones without the need for additional hardware such as a bedside transmitter, which simplifies the process for patients.
Our CardioMEMS™ HF System, which I mentioned earlier, is another example of an easy-to-use wireless technology for remotely monitoring the heart's performance, specifically pressure in the pulmonary artery. The device is implanted directly into the pulmonary artery through a minimally invasive procedure. It transmits information wirelessly to the physician, who can adjust the treatment plan if needed, even before patients feel symptoms and without requiring follow-up appointments or hospitalizations. The CardioMEMS HF System, when used by clinicians to manage heart failure, has been proven to significantly reduce heart failure hospital admissions.
Another example where device connectivity and remote monitoring can have life-changing impact is in continuous glucose monitoring. Our FreeStyle Libre system uses a revolutionary sensing technology that transmits glucose information from a small patch worn on the back of the upper arm. In Europe, the FreeStyle Libre system can be used with a smartphone app that allows people with diabetes and their caregivers to access and monitor glucose readings in real time. The smartphone app is pending FDA approval in the U.S. This ability to share glucose trend data is particularly important for people who are caring for elderly loved ones or others who may not be capable of managing their own glucose levels.
We've designed the FreeStyle Libre system to fit seamlessly into a person's daily life. It's calibrated at the factory so it doesn't require routine finger sticks, which is a key reason we're seeing a much higher frequency of glucose readings and closer diabetes management — resulting in fewer incidents of hypo- and hyperglycemia. And, importantly, it's priced to be more affordable than traditional CGM systems. With FreeStyle Libre, physicians don't have to be the sole motivator in glucose management, because patients themselves feel empowered by the ease of generating their own data. These features and the benefits they provide translate into better outcomes and lower overall costs — for treating diabetes and the complications that can come from it if it's not managed well.
That's an important point, because it underscores why connectivity is a valuable part of the equation when it comes to medical device innovation. For us at Abbott, innovation that's truly "smart" is innovation that is life-changing — leading to meaningful improvements in patient care and, most importantly, better health outcomes."
I think the area quoted is where Paranotek can help.
Go WRFX