This is truly a milestone by Medtronic to provide Bluetooth LE in the Azure pacemaker together with their BlueSync Technology. Both Azsure and BlueSync as well as MyCareLink are trademarked. These are my views of the technology transition and value proposition to the patient and clinician.
As one who was actually in the cardiac pacing field for a number of years; this is a total win-win for the patient and as mentioned the clinician. Never before have they both have had this synergistic type of real time connectivity.
Validation of the Patient Experience
The first generation of smart technology using the MyCareLink Smart monitor resulted in 95,000 users with over a score of 85% patient satisfaction, that resulted in 2,300 recommendations.
Moving to the Next Value Proposition Level
Based upon this high level of patient satisfaction and compliance, BTLE was it seems was decided to be integrated into the pacemaker itself and to provide a secure connection to a application via a tablet and smart phone interface. This could perhaps eventually replace the home bedside monitor thus allowing the patient to become truly mobile and connected on a global basis. The MyCareLink heart mobile application could in essence provide a better piece of mind of those living with a pacemaker anywhere.
Clinician Value Proposition
The Medtronic smart phone application thus acts as gateway to MyCareLink from the the pacemaker to provide relevant data to the clinician remotely and per desired requirements. Notifications can be pushed out to monitor AT/AF burden notification, lead impedance, lower battery voltage@RRT, VT Episodes, Fast VRate during AT/AF, Capture Management and % V Pacing. Previous to this integrated software, smart phone, and cloud based model, patients would have to have the pacemaker interrogated in a office environment or connected to the home monitoring solution.
Medtronic it seems will be also incorporating BTLE in the pacing systems analyzer thus also allowing the clinician to directly make programming changes via a BTLE to BTLE link, versus the legacy wand interrogation up link and down link.
Security of Patient Information
To address any wireless concerns about security Medtronic has provided into the Azure pacemaker an encryption module. This encryption module uses the NIST (National Institute of Technology) standard.
Wireless BTLE and Battery Life of the Pacemaker
While using BTLE may seem to perhaps effect battery life of the pacing generator, this seems to be not the case. It seems that new hardware architecture optimizes circuitry to reduce current drain and battery life that will provide lifetime use of 10.8 years to a high a high of degree of 15.8 years. This is huge to years past.
Hats off to Medtronic to providing a secure BTLE pacemaker to smart phone application to the cloud to allow a huge value add to the clinical and patient care experience.
See attached.
Download 201801292b-en_azure broch_p24_prnt
