| ■ New Guidelines Urge Careful Monitoring of Heart Device Patients | 2008.05.19 |
| People with implanted pacemakers, defibrillators and other devices to regulate heartbeat need to be monitored carefully after the devices begin working, a team of international experts recommended Wednesday. Almost 2 million people across the globe have had the devices implanted, the Associated Press reported. While much of the attention so far has been directed to who should get the devices and whether insurance companies would pay for them, the wire service said, experts in San Francisco at a meeting of the Heart Rhythm Society unveiled new guidelines designed to provide follow-up care for people who already have them. The guidelines recommend: 1. Making the doctor who implants the device responsible for follow-up care, including working with the patient's primary care doctor if the patient moves. 2. Giving each patient an ID card, which would include information about emergency care and solving potential safety issues. 3. Getting a checkup every three to 12 months. 4. Urging the government to brand manufacturer recalls as "safety alerts," to avoid scaring patients into thinking they need immediate surgery to remove an affected product. 5. Using wireless technology to monitor patients remotely from their homes. |