Summary: Background: Aim of the study has been to assess the potential of modern telecommunications technology, computer‐assisted signal processing, global data exchange networks and powerful databases for permanent telesurveillance of patients with certain cardiac risks.
Methods: The methodological approach is based on the recording of intramyocardial electrograms either from the spontaneously beating or from the paced heart with advanced pacemaker technology. Sophisticated signal processing utilizing tailored software has been used for the automated extraction of well‐defined risk parameters.
Results: Experimental results were obtained from more than 300 patients after heart transplantation and from 51 patients with different kinds of cardiomyopathies. In total, 32 132 electrogram sequences of 1‐min duration were transmitted from more than 20 hospitals in different countries and continents via the Internet to the special service centre in Graz. No serious problems were experienced with either signal transmission or data protection.
Conclusions: Since the signal quality of intramyocardial electrograms is superior to that of surface electrograms, information can be acquired that until now is not obtainable from surface electrograms, e. , g. for transplant rejection surveillance, recipient monitoring, and detection of haemodynamic failure. The results are promising and reveal a high potential for risk telemonitoring.