Mobile Cardiac Telemetry Proves Cost-Effective

A new study shows that monitoring patients with mobile cardiac telemetry (MCT) is better than using Event or Holter monitors.

Researcher at Bayser Consulting (Skokie, IL, USA) conducted a retrospective analysis of claims data from January 2007 to September 2011, pertaining to 200,000+ patients, of whom 14,000 used MCT only, 54,000 used an Event monitor only, and 163,000 used a Holter monitor only. The researchers used a pair-wise pre/post-test-control methodology to ensure that control patients were similar to test patients with regard to age, geographic location, type of cardiovascular diagnosis both in the inpatient and outpatient settings, and the cardiovascular drug class the patient used.

The results showed that the diagnostic yield of patients monitored with MCT is 61%, significantly higher than that of patients that use the Event monitor (23%), or the Holter monitor (24%). In addition, significantly more patients naive to antiarrhythmic drugs initiated therapy after monitoring with the MCT (61%), compared with 39% for patients that used the Event monitor, and 43% for patients that use the Holter monitor. Significant inpatient cardiovascular savings were found for patients that underwent ablation, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), and valve septa procedures. The study was published on December 19, 2013, in Medical Devices: Evidence and Research.

“Given the superior outcome of MCT regarding both patient care and hospital savings, hospitals only stand to gain by enforcing protocols that favor the MCT system over the Event or the Holter monitor,” concluded study authors Jean-Patrick Tsang, PhD, MBA, and analyst Shunmugam Mohan.

The MCT is a small sensor and monitor developed by Cardionet (Pennsylvania, PA, USA) that patients wear daily. When a cardiac event occurs, the system instantaneously transmits the data to a center for analysis and response, which in turn sends a report along with graphs and trends to the patient's physician for diagnosis and therapy management.

Related Links:
Bayser Consulting
Cardionet