St Jude Medical has received European CE Mark approval for USB cellular adaptor for the Merlin@home transmitter, a system that allows important patient data from an implantable cardiac device to be wirelessly downloaded and securely transmitted via telephone for review by a physician.

St Jude Medical said that the new USB adaptor allows patients using a Merlin@home transmitter to transfer data to their physician over the cellular network, in addition to the existing landline service available.

The USB cellular adaptor is a small device that plugs into new and existing Merlin@home transmitters. The transmitter typically sits on a patient’s bedside table and wirelessly communicates with the patient’s device during the night. Regularly scheduled follow-up appointments and daily device checks occur without any patient interaction required.

The connectivity allows patients to limit the need for unnecessary visits to their physician’s office, but also allows physicians to more quickly become aware of any changes with the patient’s condition or device.

The transmitter supports all radio-frequency (RF) St Jude Medical implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators (CRT-Ds), and the Accent RF pacemaker and Anthem RF CRT-P (cardiac resynchronization therapy pacemaker). The data from these devices are transmitted from the patient to the physician via the Merlin.net Patient Care Network (PCN), an Internet-based repository of patient and device data.

The data transferred using the Merlin@home device is fully encrypted and meets or exceeds all applicable national data privacy and security requirements in every country where we use the Merlin.net PCN.

Eric Fain, president of the St Jude Medical Cardiac Rhythm Management Division, said: “The USB Cellular Adapter expands the global reach of the Merlin.net PCN to new markets, particularly those markets that rely heavily on cellular technology. This technology provides a reliable, secure transmission option that allows both patients and clinicians to experience the value of connectivity.”