Remote cardiac care for high risk patients with CIED'S Every day, hundreds of patients attend the Bristol Heart Institute for CIED Checks The Bristol Heart Institute (BHI) is a regional, specialist centre for heart care with a high volume of patients from across the South West and beyond. Thousands of these patients have a Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device (CIED), also known as a pacemaker, which requires them to attend the hospital as often as every six weeks, and this number is growing year on year. CIED's are designed to help control or monitor irregular heartbeats in people with heart rhythm disorders and heart failure. The ability for patients to attend hospital appointments is severely limited by restrictions imposed because of Covid-19. The average age of a person with a CIED implanted in the UK is 75 years old, which firmly places these patients into a high-risk group. Over lockdown the BHI staff have been administering CIED checks using a telephone consultation system, where patients are assessed to see if they require an urgent face to face check or whether they can wait an additional six months. A remote service would ensure high risk patients get the care they need at home We want to provide the BHI with remote monitoring equipment for patients with CIEDs. Establishing a remote clinical service would ensure these patients still receive gold standard care without having to make a trip into hospital. By providing patients with home monitoring equipment that they place by their bed, staff can routinely assess patients and perform essential tests without the patient leaving their home. The use of remote monitoring reduces mortality in these patients as it enables the CIED clinic to detect heart failure events early and intervene before the patient becomes symptomatic. The BHI would be a national example for remote services offered to patients to overcome the challenges to patient care as a result of Covid-19. Help make this remote service possible Your support can help provide life-changing specialist equipment to ensure that high risk patients receive the care they so desperately need. Will you donate today? Donate now Thank you for your continued support. If you have any queries, please contact us at [email protected]. Manage Cookie Preferences