| In-home controls of pacemakers in debilitated elderly patients. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 21702875 Owner: NLM Status: Publisher |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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Aim: We assessed the efficacy, reliability and cost of an in-home control service, devoted to debilitated patients with pacemakers, during long-term follow up. Methods: We admitted 802 patients (mean age 87.8 ± 6.9 years) with pacemakers into our program, which were monitored periodically during in-home visits by nurses. During these controls, patients underwent a standard electrocardiogram with and without magnet, during which stimulation intervals were measured. In-home pacemaker assessments were performed by a portable programmer only for patients with Biotronik pacemakers. Electrocardiograms and technical data were evaluated at hospital, and a report was sent by mail to the patient. Moreover, we compared the costs for the hospital, patients and society between in-home and ambulatory assessments. Results: During 80 months of follow up, 2418 controls were performed. The monthly average of patients who were followed at home was 283.9 ± 23.9. The mean number of controls per month was 30.2 ± 10 (range 4-51). One hundred and twenty-three pacemakers were replaced due to battery exhaustion, after a mean device longevity of 7.4 years (range 4.9-12.4 years). Four hundred and sixty-eight patients died (8.7% annual mortality). Fifteen patients (annual incidence 0.3%) were invited to in-hospital visits for reprogramming. The cumulative cost for in-home assessment were 20.5% lower than conventional in-hospital controls and 66.5% lower if patients are transported by ambulance. Conclusion: Elderly debilitated patients can be monitored by effective and reliable pacemaker assessments at home, alleviating them and their families from the issues that are associated with their transfer from the home to the hospital and concurrently reducing overall costs. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2011; ••: xxx-xxx. |
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Authors:
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Antonio F Folino; Roberto Breda; Patrizia Calzavara; Federico Migliore; Sabino Iliceto; Gianfranco Buja |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: JOURNAL ARTICLE Date: 2011-6-27 |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Geriatrics & gerontology international Volume: - ISSN: 1447-0594 ISO Abbreviation: - Publication Date: 2011 Jun |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2011-6-27 Completed Date: - Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 101135738 Medline TA: Geriatr Gerontol Int Country: - |
Other Details:
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Languages: ENG Pagination: - Citation Subset: - |
Copyright Information:
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© 2011 Japan Geriatrics Society. |
Affiliation:
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Department of Cardiologic, Thoracic and Vascular Sciences, University of Padua Local Social Sanitary Unit, Padua, Italy. |
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From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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