Boston Scientific has welcomed the publication of an analysis from its Altitude Clinical Science program in the current issue of Circulation that showed patients followed by the Latitude Patient Management system experienced a 50% relative reduction in the risk of death compared to patients followed in-clinic only.
The analysis also showed that heart failure patients who transmitted weight and blood pressure data via the Latitude system experienced an additional 10% reduction in the risk of death compared to other CRT-D patients followed by the Latitude system.
Boston Scientific‘s Latitude system enables physicians to conduct remote follow-up of implantable cardiac device patients to monitor specific device information and heart health status and the system can also detect clinical events between scheduled in-clinic visits and send relevant data directly to physicians.
The Altitude program enhances physician understanding of device therapy, outcomes and disease progression in a real-world setting for device patients followed by the Latitude system.
University of Southern California Cardiovascular and Thoracic Institute Cardiovascular Medicine chief Leslie Saxon said patients remotely monitored by physicians may fare better due to earlier notification of events, resulting in diagnosis or therapy that can reduce subsequent risk.
"Remote follow-up may also encourage patients to be more aware of their health status," Saxon said.