Your Pacemaker or ICD Monitor

The monitor will be a CareLink (Medtronic), Latitude (Boston Scientific), or Merlin (Abbott/St. Jude). Depending on the device implanted, it may be a physical monitor or an application on your phone. We recommend the physical monitor for our patients. If you have not already received it on the day of your procedure, the company will mail the monitor to you.

They will call you from a 1-800 number and are not trying to sell you anything but will not mail the monitor until they talk with you.

Our EP clinic will schedule a “home transmission” or “home device check,” which means you will send your data from your pacemaker or ICD to us using your home monitor. You will receive instructions and teaching from the company representative on the day of implant. Once you get home, if you have questions on how to use the monitor and transmit the data please call:

• Medtronic: 866-470-7709
• Boston Scientific: 866-484-3268
• St. Jude/Abbot: 877-696-3754

The monitor is on loan to you and you will not be charged for the actual monitor. However, we will bill your insurance for each transmission, like we bill for clinic visits.

If you have a co-pay when you come in for a visit, you will have a co-pay for each of your transmissions.

You will send your data every 3 months and with any symptoms. We will run a report every 3 months or sooner if there is a concern.

Each company has different models of home monitors and will assign them to you based on the type of device the patient has and family preference. You can only have one monitor active at a time. 

Medtronic

• MyCarelink Relay Monitor: once you set up the monitor and send in the first check, as long as it remains plugged in and within 6 feet of the patient while they sleep it will automatically send information every 3 months and if there is an alert. You can send additional transmissions for new concerns.
• MyCarelink Heart Phone application: the application will need to always remain open on your phone and within 6 feet of the patient to be able to send us data every month. If it closes on your phone we will not receive data, you will need to remember to open and send in a transmission every 3 months to send data for review.
• For all other monitors go to this website for set up information by clicking on the monitor you have been given: medtronic.com/us-en/patients/treatments-therapies/remotemonitoring.html

Boston Scientific

• Latitude Bedside Monitor: once you set up the monitor and send the first transmission, we will schedule automatic checks every 3 months. When your scheduled check is due, it will send automatically or the heart icon begins flashing.
  
  If it is flashing: press and release the heart button and stand within 3 feet of the monitor until all waves are solid green and doctor icon is blue. This means the data has been sent. 

• We recommend downloading the “My Latitude” application. There is a “lights” section that explains what the lights mean and if there is an action needed by you.

St. Jude/Abbott

• Merlin@Home Bedside Monitor: once you set up the monitor and send in the first check, as long as it remains plugged in and within 6 feet of the patient while they sleep it will automatically send us information every 3 months and if there is an alert. You can send additional transmissions for new concerns.
  
  We will give you dates in clinic or MyChart to send your data. You may send your data anytime within one week of the date we tell you.

If you miss a transmission, we will not cancel your service, but we will remind you that you have missed a transmission via MyChart and ask you to send one within the week.

Your device data is sent to a secure server. Our clinic staff can view it using a password-protected website.

We will review the data within the next 2 business days. Due to holidays and weekends, it may be up to 5 days later. After we look at your data, if we decide you need to see a doctor, we will call you to schedule a clinic visit.

After looking at your data, we will only call if there is an issue. No news is good news.

No. You should only use the monitor to send device data to the clinic if you are scheduled to or if the clinic has asked you to send it. Call us if you have a concern with your pacemaker or ICD and have sent in a check off schedule. If you do not call us, we will think it is an accidental send.

Call our EP nurse triage line at 206-987-3563. Our normal clinic hours are Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. After hours/weekends/holidays call 206-987-2000 and ask to page the on-call cardiologist. These symptoms could be related to your pacemaker or ICD. We may ask you to send your data to us even if it is not scheduled.

You will need to see the pacemaker doctor in Device Clinic in the Heart Center 1 to 2 times a year for an in-person check. This is only done in Seattle.

Shocks

If you get a shock from your ICD and lose consciousness, someone should call 911. If you do not lose consciousness, call the electrophysiology nurses at 206-987-3563 and send in your device data for review. If you receive multiple shocks in a row, someone should call 911 and go to the ED for an evaluation.

Traveling

If you will be traveling, please call and let us know. You won’t need to travel with the monitor.

Issues and troubleshooting your monitor

Please contact your device company for help with your monitor:

• Medtronic: 866-470-7709
• Boston Scientific: 866-484-3268
• St. Jude/Abbot: 877-696-3754 

Your contact information

If you change any of your contact information or move, call our office. It is your responsibility to notify our office so we can follow up with you.